UNIT 2 MORE LIKE JESUS / ELEMENTARY SESSION 5 - JESUS CALMED THE STORM BIBLE PASSAGE: Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25 LIFE POINT: Trust God all the time, even when it is hard. CHRIST FOCUS: When we trust Jesus, He gives us faith that is bigger than our fear. BIBLE VERSE: Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You rescued them. Psalm 22:4 (HCSB) Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. Psalm 22:4 (KJV) I n you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. Psalm 22:4 (NIV) In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. Psalm 22:4 (ESV) Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. Psalm 22:4 (NKJV) Production Notes p From simple to involved, you can tailor Worship for Life to your kids and leaders: Short on supplies and leaders? For an easy prep, enlist a host, a music leader, and prepare the Connection Point game. Then show the videos for the worship songs and other segments. Have some actors who would love to prepare a short drama? Print out the True 2 Life drama from the DVD-ROM! Use this drama instead of the Mayflower video. Do you have musicians who would like to lead worship songs? Check out the lead sheets on the DVD-ROM or substitute your songs! v This symbol denotes that the segment or song is available on video. h This symbol indicates props needed for today s session. 1
Schedule and Props v This symbol indicates that a video is provided on the DVD-ROM. p This symbol indicates that the activity is host or leader-led no video for this activity. Huddle Ups (Optional) p People: Small Group Leaders Props: none Backstage Intro v 1-2 minutes People: Stage Manager Props: clipboard, headset, umbrella Countdown and Welcome v 1-5 minutes People: Host Props: Song v 3Worship minutes People: Worship Leader and/or Worship Team Point Game p Connection 5-10 minutes People: Host, 4-6 kids Props: 4-6 balloons and chairs p Host Set-up 1-2 minutes People: Host Props: none Video or True 2 Life v Mayflower Drama 5-7 minutes People for Drama: Reed, John (preteen or teenage friends) Props for Drama: baseball gear, baseball uniforms (optional) Song v Worship 3 minutes People: Worship Leader and/or Worship Team Story v Bible 8 minutes People: Storyteller Props: Bible, silly mask (or a silly face drawn on a paper plate), marker board or pad of paper on a stand, marker, index cards with one of the following written on each: storms, spiders, roller coasters, bad dreams Song v Worship 3 minutes People: Worship Leader and/or Worship Team in Real Life Video v Worship 3-4 minutes People: none p Closing 2 minutes People: Host Props: none 202
Outro v Backstage 1-2 minutes People: Stage Manager Props: umbrella Ups (Optional) p Huddle People: Small Group Leaders Props: soccer ball and whistle for each small group t TECH Video and/or audio capabilities Microphones for singers Lights (optional) Optional sound effects available (see sound effects file) m music Joy to the World Glory to You Lord Not So Silent Night More LIke Jesus Your Amazing Love Follow 203
p HUDDLE UPS (OPTIONAL) Huddle ups are for churches that have a drop-off time before the session begins. There are multiple ideas for interaction during this time, such as simple games that children can play on the floor or within whatever arrangements you gather your kids. Leaders can ask get-to-know-you questions after welcoming kids into their groups. (Print the following for your small group leaders.) Stand Up If All players should be seated. Call out a set of choices and instruct players what to do to show their choices. Discuss kids reasons for the choices they make. Suggested categories include: ** ** ** ** ** ** ** A bumblebee or a whale: Stand up if you d rather be a bumblebee. Stay seated if you d rather be a whale. Why? A straw or a spoon: Stand up if you d rather be a straw. Stay seated if you d rather be a spoon. Why? An anteater s nose or peacock s feathers: Stand up if you d rather have an anteater s nose. Stay seated if you d rather have peacock s feathers. Why? Swim to the bottom of the ocean or fly to outer space: Stand up if you d rather swim to the bottom of the ocean. Sit down if you d rather fly to outer space. Why? A rhinoceros or a rabbit: Stand up if you d rather be a rhinoceros. Stay seated if you d rather be a rabbit. Why? Big like an elephant or small like an ant: Stand up if you d rather be big like an elephant. Stay seated if you d rather be small like an ant. Why? Fast as a cheetah or slow as a turtle: Stand up if you d rather be fast as a cheetah. Stay seated if you d rather be slow as a turtle. Why? Tell the kids that today they will hear a Bible story that God can help them no matter what happens. 20 4
v BACKSTAGE INTRO c Estimated time: 1-2 minutes Tech: Video option available, t Session Title slide p People: Stage Manager h Props: clipboard, headset, umbrella (Show video or act out the following.) STAGE MANAGER (Show Session Title slide.) (Stage manager enters with an umbrella and a clipboard.) Hey, guys! I know, I know. I m inside, and it s not raining in here, but I heard there was a chance of some storms today. That s why I brought my umbrella. Do you have an umbrella? What about a raincoat or rain boots? All these things protect you from the rain. I looked at the forecast before I came. This storm could move in at any time. Let s see what Bible story we are getting set up for today. Well, what do you know? There s a 100 percent chance of rain in our Bible story, too. I wonder if Jesus helpers had an umbrella or some rain boots. We sure want to be finished before the bad weather moves in, so let s get started. PLACES, EVERYONE! (runs offstage) 205
v COUNTDOWN AND WELCOME c Estimated time: 1-5 minutes Tech: Countdown video, Life t Point slide, Bible Verse slide p People: Host h Props: none HOST (Play Countdown video. Host walks out at around 30 seconds.) Hello, everyone! I m so glad you re here! Stand up with me and let s count it down 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Today, we will hear how Jesus helpers, the disciples, found themselves in a real jam! Those guys were probably thinking that everything was normal, and before they knew it, something totally not normal happened. I wonder how the disciples did with trusting God when something unexpected happened. Did they trust God? When things in our lives are going well, it s easy to trust God, isn t it? But do you ever struggle with trusting God in difficult times? Today, we want you to know that you should trust God all the time, even when it s hard. (Show Life Point slide.) Let s say that together. (Repeat with slide.) Trust God all the time, even when it s hard. (Show Bible Verse slide select preferred version.) Our Bible verse is all about trusting God. Let s read it to see how people in the Bible trusted Him. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You rescued them. Psalm 22:4 (HCSB) In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. Psalm 22:4 (ESV) Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. Psalm 22:4 (KJV) Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. Psalm 22:4 (NKJV) In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. Psalm 22:4 (NIV) (Host leaves as worship team gets in place.) 20 6
v WORSHIP SONG c Estimated time: 3 minutes Music or lyric video, mics t fortech:singers, lights (optional) People: Worship Leader p and/or Worship Team h Props: none Music: Follow (lead sheet m available on DVD-ROM) or download a worship song of your choice (Show video or give the following to your worship leader.) WORSHIP LEADER Sometimes it s easier to SAY we trust God than it is to actually trust Him, isn t it? When things happen that we don t expect or if something bad happens, we can automatically start doubting. But Psalm 9:10 says that God has never left the people who trust in Him. We can trust God because He will never leave us. Let s sing together and thank Him for His faithfulness. (Show the music or lyric video.) (Lead kids to sit as song ends.) Now, let s get ready for Connection Point! 207
p CONNECTION POINT GAME c Estimated time: 5-10 minutes Tech: Connection Point slide, t Connection Point theme music p People: Host, 4-6 kids h Props: 4-6 balloons and chairs Game Instructions: The object of the game is for each player to inflate a balloon as big as he can and be the first one to pop it by sitting on it. Sitting on the balloon is the only option for popping. Create a start line. Place chairs in a row several feet away from the players. Place an uninflated balloon in each chair. Option: For younger kids, inflate the balloons prior to the session. Place one inflated balloon in a chair. Kids will run to the chair and attempt to sit on the balloon to pop it. Note: Some children may be sensitive to loud noises. Be mindful to offer them a quiet place during the game. Host (Play Connection Point theme music and show Connection Point slide.) (Enter after theme music plays.) Hello, everyone, and welcome to Connection Point! I ll explain the rules in just a minute, but before I do, I need a couple of volunteers. (Choose four to six players and introduce them. Instruct the players to stand behind a start line.) Today s game is going to be a BLAST! Each player will race to a chair, pick up a balloon, and inflate it as quickly as possible. Then each player will try to be the first one to pop his balloon. The only way to pop the balloon is by sitting on it. That s why we have chairs! Remember, you can only sit on the balloon to pop it no popping it with your fingernails or by pinching it! Are you ready? OK. On your mark, get set, go! (Play fun music while kids are inflating and popping their balloons. Encourage the audience to cheer for the players.) Great job! Let s give our players a big round of applause! (Theme music/slide to transition. Host leads into next segment.) 20 8
p HOST SET-UP c Estimated time: 1-2 minutes t Tech: Session Title slide p People: Host h Props: none HOST (Show Session Title slide.) It s unexpected when a balloon pops, isn t it? Somehow, it doesn t matter that you KNOW it s going to pop, it s still unexpected when it does! Today, our friends, the disciples, got a very unexpected surprise. I wonder how they reacted? We ll hear more about that in just a moment. First though, let s check in with the Mayflower kids (or let s check in with our True 2 Life team). Then we will worship together. (Host exits.) 20 9
v MAYFLOWER VIDEO OR TRUE 2 LIFE DRAMA c Estimated time: 5-7 minutes t Tech: Mayflower video People for Drama: Reed, John p (preteen or teenage friends) Props for Drama: baseball gear, h baseball uniforms (optional) (NOTE: After the host set-up, there are two options provided: a video or a skit. If you choose to show the video, play the Mayflower video. If you choose the drama, act out the following.) True 2 life Drama Reed and John enter with baseball gear on. They are obviously forlorn. John: Cheer up, Reed, it was just one game. Reed: Yeah, one lousy game. John: Don t be like that. It wasn t all bad. Reed: Really? Name one good thing that happened. John: Well, it um there was uh It s over. Reed: (with dark chuckle) Exactly. I have never stunk so bad in a game before. John: To be fair, we were all pretty bad today. Reed: Yeah, but in the first inning, the first ball I pitched hit the batter. Then the second one hit the umpire. I should have stopped right then. John: Well, we were doing OK until they got their third grand slam. Then it really started to look bad. Reed: Why didn t the coach take me out of the game? John: Because we only had nine players. Everyone else was sick. Reed: Wish I would have been sick. Ugh. Worst. Game. Ever. I should never play baseball again. John: It was pretty bad. Reed: Why do you think God is so mad at us? John: What? Reed: Well, we weren t this bad last week, and we ve never played that bad before. Do you think God just liked the other team better? John: Did a baseball hit you in the head? That doesn t make any sense. God doesn t love us based 210
on baseball. Reed: You could have fooled me. If God loves us, why did He let us lose so badly today? John: Reed, just because we have a bad day or a bad week or even a bad year, that doesn t mean that God doesn t love us. Reed: It sure feels that way sometimes. John: I think that s because of what you re focusing on. If you focus only on the bad, you re going to feel bad. But if you focus on God, the bad stuff doesn t matter as much. Reed: I would definitely rather focus on something other than this bad day. John: It s up to you. You can choose to be upset and angry all you want, or you can focus on God and let Him give you joy. Even if things aren t going good. Reed: Well, that definitely sounds like a better plan than just feeling bad for myself. Plus, I really like baseball. I don t really want to give it up for life. John: That s sounds more like Reed, the star pitcher, that I know. (They begin to exit.) Reed: Ha if I m going to be a good pitcher again, I probably need to get some more practice in this week. Will you help me? John: Absolutely! (END SCENE) 211
v WORSHIP SONG c Estimated time: 3 minutes Music or lyric video, mics t fortech:singers, lights (optional) People: Worship Leader p and/or Worship Team h Props: none Music: More Like Jesus m (lead sheet available on DVDROM) or download a worship song of your choice (Show video or give the following to your worship leader.) WORSHIP LEADER (Music begins.) Whether things are going great or they re going not so great, it s always right to praise God. You can praise Him in the calm and in the storm! Let s praise God together right now. (Show the music or lyric video.) (Kids rise to sing.) 212
v BIBLE STORY c Estimated time: 8 minutes Tech: Christ Focus slide, Bible Story t slide, Bible Story video p People: Storyteller Props: Bible, silly mask (or a h silly face drawn on a paper plate), marker board or pad of paper on a stand, marker, index cards with one of the following written on each: storms, spiders, roller coasters, bad dreams (Play the Bible Story video or tell the following Bible story.) STORYTELLER (Show Bible Story slide.) (Enter stage, holding silly mask in front of face. Pull mask away while shouting boo. ) BOO! Did I scare you? What? You didn t think my mask was very scary? Oh, well. Sometimes it can be fun to be scared, like riding a roller coaster or a zip-line for the first time! Other times, being scared isn t so fun, is it? Let s play a game to discover some things that can sometimes be scary. (Invite an older child to join you on stage. Explain that the child will begin drawing a picture of something that some people are afraid of. Kids should try to guess what he is drawing. Show one of the prepared index cards to the child and ask him to begin drawing a picture of it. When the kids guess the word, choose a new child to draw the next word.) Today, we re learning about a time when the disciples were REALLY afraid! We can read about it in the fourth chapter of Mark, beginning in verse 35. (Open Bible and read Mark 4:35-37.) On that day, when evening had come, He [Jesus] told them, Let s cross over to the other side of the sea. So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was already in the boat. And other boats were with Him. A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. OK, so just imagine this with me. The disciples were in a boat and going to the other side of the sea. Do you remember from last week what most of the disciples jobs were before they became Jesus helpers? That s right! Most of them were fishermen, so these guys were experts when it came to boats. They d been sailing their whole lives, and I m sure this wasn t the first time they d ever been caught in a storm. No big deal, right? They d handled this kind of thing all the time except this time was different. The Bible says the wind began blowing very, very hard, and the waves were so big that they were crashing over the top of the boat! In fact, this storm was so bad that the boat was beginning to sink! We need to see what happened next! (Read Mark 4:38.) But He [Jesus] was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, Teacher! Don t You care that we re going to die? 213
Wait a minute! What did the Bible say that Jesus was doing? Was He helping bail water out of the boat? No. Was He praying and asking God for help? No, He wasn t even doing that! The Bible says that Jesus was SLEEPING! Jesus must have been really tired to be sleeping through such a huge storm! In a full-blown panic the disciples woke up Jesus. Jesus! We re going to die! Don t You even care? Why do you think they would ask Jesus such a question? Let s think about this for a moment. The disciples had seen Jesus do miracles. They knew that He could do things no one else could do. So, why were they so afraid? The disciples still didn t understand how BIG Jesus power was. They didn t have faith; instead, they had fear. Let s keep reading in verses 39-41. (Read Mark 4:39-41.) He [Jesus] got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Silence! Be still! The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then He said to them, Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith? And they were terrified and asked one another, Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him! Jesus got up from His nap and spoke to the wind and the waves, Silence! Be still! Immediately, the wind and the waves obeyed. Can you imagine what that must have been like? The Bible doesn t say that the wind gradually died down and that the waves slowly rolled to a stop. It says that one second they are in the middle of a huge, hurricane-force storm, and the next second everything just stopped! Let s give this a try. When I say: Go, I want you all to stomp your feet and clap your hands as loudly as you can. I will hold up my hand and count down to zero with my fingers. Watch carefully, and when I get to zero everyone suddenly STOP and make sure there is complete silence. Are you ready? Go! (Hold up your hand and use your fingers to count down from five. Encourage kids to suddenly stop and be completely silent when you get to zero.) (While the room is completely silent, begin by whispering the next statement to draw kids attention back to the story.) The disciples total chaos immediately changed to complete calm. The disciples were terrified! They were just as afraid now as when the storm was raging! They asked: Who is this Man? He can even control the wind and the sea! Jesus asked His disciples: Why are you so afraid? Where is your faith? Jesus wanted them to know that He was always in control. He wanted them to trust Him, even when it was hard, and when they were afraid. Their faith in Jesus needed to be bigger than their fear. (Show Christ Focus slide.) Did you know that the same is true for us? We can choose to have faith bigger than our fear. (Refer to mask.) When something bad or unexpected happens, we don t have to let our fear take over. God is in control. That doesn t mean that we re never afraid. Fear is a normal part of life. But it does mean that when we are afraid, we can pray for God to help us trust in Him. God loves us, and He wants to take care of us. Aren t you glad that we can always trust Him, even when it s hard? Let s pray and thank Him together. God, we thank You that You are in control of everything. Help us to have a faith that is bigger than our fear. Help us to remember to trust You when we are afraid. Grow our faith as we learn more and more of Your power. We love You. Amen. v WORSHIP SONG 214
c Estimated time: 3 minutes Music or lyric video, mics t fortech:singers, lights (optional) People: Worship Leader p and/or Worship Team h Props: none Music: Your Amazing Love m (lead sheet available on DVDROM) or download a worship song of your choice (Show video or give the following to your worship leader.) WORSHIP LEADER (Music begins.) The wind and the waves aren t the only things that obey God. All of creation obeys Him. Every animal, every star, every raindrop, and every snowflake. All of God s creation obeys Him. He wants people to obey Him, too! Let s sing together and thank Him for being the God who controls the wind and the waves! (Show the music or lyric video.) (Kids rise to sing.) v WORSHIP IN REAL LIFE VIDEO c Estimated time: 3-4 minutes t Tech: Video p People: none h Props: none (Show Worship in Real Life video.) 215
p CLOSING c Estimated time: 2 minutes Tech: Session Title slide, Life t Point, and Bible Verse slides p People: Host h Props: none HOST (Show Session Title slide.) Jesus simply spoke to the wind and the waves, and they instantly obeyed. That s the power that Jesus has! Is there anything in your life or anything that you might face that Jesus doesn t have the same amount of control over? No! Whether it s easy things or hard things, you can trust Jesus. God is in control. Our choice is whether we will be scared and full of fear like the disciples were, or if we will choose to trust God. (Show Life Point slide.) I challenge you to trust God all the time, even when it s hard. Let s say it again so we can remember it. (Repeat with slide.) Trust God all the time, even when it s hard. Optional Giving Segment: It can be hard sometimes to trust God with our money, especially when we don t have very much. The money we have really isn t ours. It belongs to God. He has given us everything that we need. When you give an offering, you are thanking God and showing Him that you trust Him to provide for you. If you d like to give today, (Give your own directions for how the kids can give to God. Perhaps you have buckets in the back of the room, a chest up front, or an envelope that each small group leader passes.) (Show Bible Verse slide select preferred version.) Let s say our verse together again. It will remind us of how we should trust God. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You rescued them. Psalm 22:4 (HCSB) In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. Psalm 22:4 (ESV) Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. Psalm 22:4 (KJV) Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. Psalm 22:4 (NKJV) In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. Psalm 22:4 (NIV) 216
v BACKSTAGE OUTRO c Estimated time: 1-2 minutes Tech: Video option available, t Session Title slide p People: Stage Manager h Props: umbrella (Show video or act out the following.) STAGE MANAGER (Show Session Title slide.) (Stage manager enters with the umbrella opened.) You know, I m not sure this umbrella would have been very useful on that boat. The waves were crashing all over the disciples, weren t they? (takes umbrella down) I sure am glad to have an umbrella to protect me from storms, but I m even happier that I have something much better to protect me. God. The next time I get scared or face some type of trouble, I m going to ask Him to help me. He loves me, and I can always trust Him. Be sure to grab a One Conversation page on your way out so that you can talk with your family about what you ve learned. See you next week! 217
p HUDDLE UPS (OPTIONAL) This time is designed for churches that have a pick-up time from a large room as parents arrive. It s a great time for follow-up conversations and questions from small group leaders about the session s content. You also can use the missions emphasis (below). (Print the following for your small group leaders.) After Jesus taught a large crowd of people, what did He want to do? (cross over to the other side of the sea) What happened to the boat when they started to cross the sea? (winds blew and waves crashed) What was Jesus doing? (sleeping) What did the disciples ask Jesus? ( Don t you care that we re about to die? ) How did the disciples feel after Jesus calmed the storm? (scared; They did not understand who Jesus was.) Do you think the disciples trusted God? (Answers will vary.) What does God have power over? (everything) MISSIONS EMPHASIS (OPTIONAL) Prior to the session, gather a soccer ball and a whistle for each small group. Review the missions story Goals, God, and Good Times. Lead kids to sit in a circle. On Go, instruct kids to begin passing the ball around the circle as quickly as they can (similar to Hot Potato ). Blow the whistle and guide the child holding the soccer ball to name a way that she can pray for the kids in Brazil (at home, in their neighborhoods, at school, and so on). Pray that the children of Brazil will have many opportunities to hear the good news of Jesus. Missions Story: Goals, God, and Good Times When Hannah White was 15 years old, she went on her first mission trip. It was so exciting! She went with her dad, who had been on many mission trips. Hannah s dad is the coach of the Oklahoma Baptist University women s soccer team. Coach White wanted his team to use their soccer skills to help tell people about Jesus. So Hannah, Coach White, and the team boarded a plane in Oklahoma and flew to Natal, Brazil. The people in Brazil love soccer. They call it futbol (pronounced foocheh-bohl). In fact, futbol is their favorite sport, so Brazil was a great place for the soccer team to go! 218
Hannah and the team worked with missionaries Rick and Jill Thompson, who live in Brazil. The missionaries arranged for Hannah and the team to work with Brazilian churches that were trying to reach out to their communities to tell them about Jesus. The team went to schools to talk to kids about their different cultures, and the team got to put on a soccer camp for kids. Lots of kids came to the soccer camp. The team also did one super exciting thing! They played soccer against a Brazilian team, in a Brazilian stadium! The people were so excited the team was there to play soccer. The people made big signs for the American team and drove them around town announcing the game. The team rode on the top of a bus and waved to the people. The Brazilians made them feel famous! Hannah could tell the Brazilian people really loved soccer! At first, during the game Hannah was really nervous because there were a lot of people watching. But the game went really well, and they all had a good time. Hannah even scored two goals, and her team won the game! Hannah and the team remembered the real reason they were there. They were there to tell people about Jesus. They went to local churches to encourage them and help them start new churches. Hannah and the team talked to a lot of people. Although people from Oklahoma and Brazil may seem really different, Hannah realized that their love of soccer was one way they were alike! Because of soccer Hannah and the team were able share with people about what it means to have a relationship with Jesus. Hannah was really glad she went on the trip to Brazil. Now she understood why her dad loved missions so much! What kind of talent or hobby do you have that you could use to help you talk to people about Jesus? 219