Welcome to Following the Leader!

Welcome to Following the Leader! This quarter, get ready for a whirlwind ride through the ministry of Jesus, the Servant who came to give His life for us! As you and your students learn about Jesus, you ll be challenged to trust and follow Him because of who He is and what He has done! If this is your first time to teach this material or if you d like a quick refresher, go to our website at gospellightsundayschool.com. But if you re ready to ride the whirlwind of Jesus ministry, then follow these easy Prepare and Pray 1-2-3 steps 1. Check out the lesson introduction. The Big Idea tells why the lesson will make a difference in kids lives and in your life, too! The Action Plan helps you focus on what kids can do in this lesson to apply the Big Idea to life! Connecting You to Jesus shows how the action in this lesson s Bible story points to Jesus. 2. Read the lesson and customize it for your kids by marking the activities you plan to do. Pray for God to help you reach your kids and show His love to them. 3. Gather the materials you need they re listed right there for you! Teach 1. Get Thinking: Welcome your kids and use this activity to help them think about today s Big Idea! 2. Get God s Word: This is the heart and soul of your time together! Use the Story Starter to draw kids in and the fun Storytelling Idea to get kids participating as you tell the story. 3. Get Talking: Help kids talk about ways they can apply the Bible to their lives. Whiteboard Time, Kid Talk Cards, cool art activities and energetic games will keep your kids interacting with each other, with you and with God! (And get families talking, too, by handing out Family Fridge Fun papers for kids to take home.) End with a prayer time together! Ready to follow Jesus, our leader? Let s go Connect to families! Check out the Spring Family Event on the CD-ROM! This is a must-have event so that you can pump up parent participation in your program and help them grow faith at home. Get your parents involved! 1 1

Contents Articles Welcome to Following the Leader!................................................. 1 Skills 101: Building Relationships................................................... 3 Lessons Lesson 1 The King Is Coming Mark 11:1-10... 6 Lesson 2 Jesus Cleans House Mark 11:11-25....................................16 Lesson 3 Precious Perfume Mark 14:1-11.......................................26 Lesson 4 He s Alive! Mark 14:32 16:20........................................36 Lesson 5 Jesus at the Jordan Luke 3............................................46 Lesson 6 Rejected at Nazareth Luke 4:14-30....................................56 Lesson 7 Just Say the Word Luke 7:1-10...66 Lesson 8 Stop the Funeral! Luke 7:11-17...76 Lesson 9 Uninvited Dinner Guest Luke 7:36-50...86 Lesson 10 The Gerasene Man Luke 8:26-39....................................96 Lesson 11 The Good Neighbor Luke 10:25-37................................ 106 Lesson 12 Mary and Martha Luke 10:38-42................................... 116 Lesson 13 How to Pray Luke 11:1-13......................................... 126 Note: If you wish to teach the story of Jesus death and resurrection (Lesson 4) on Easter Sunday, adjust the order of these lessons. Sunday School Curriculum Associate Managing Editor, Deborah Barber Editor, Rebecca English Video Clips, Digital Felt Productions Editorial Team, Mary Gross Davis, Kristina Fucci, Janis Halverson Contributing Writers, Kim Fiano, Kurt Goble, Lisa Pham Designer, Matthew Lawler Founder, Dr. Henrietta Mears Publisher, William T. Greig Senior Consulting Publisher, Dr. Elmer L. Towns Editorial Director, Biblical and Theological Content, Dr. Gary S. Greig Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Gospel Light. It is illegal to photocopy or reproduce this material in any form. 2

CD-ROM On the CD-ROM, you will find instructions for the Spring Family Event, teacher-training articles, Song Motion Charts and Lesson Extras such as game cards, patterns and more! Refer to What to Print on the CD-ROM. Basic Supplies to Keep on Hand Markers, pencils, paper (copy paper, construction paper, butcher paper, card stock, etc.), scissors, glue sticks, tape (clear and masking). Materials Needed for Each Lesson Bibles, whiteboard and markers, Bible Teaching Poster Pack, Kid Talk Cards Grades 1 & 2, Family Fridge Fun papers, Get Going! Worship CD and player, several copies of What the Bible Is All About Bible Handbook for Kids. Skills 101 Welcome to Skills 101! This is the place where we ll work together to build skills designed to enhance your teaching experience and help you find new ways to improve your kids learning! This quarter s skill builder focuses on... Building Relationships Imparting information is only part of what the effective teacher accomplishes in class at church. Establishing a trusting and loving atmosphere that makes the child want to return is just as important. Only in a communal setting can children and teachers build the Body of Christ and form friendships that last for years. Many adults who grew up in a church fondly remember the church teacher or camp counselor who made them feel valued. Teacher-Child Relationships Trust. As the teacher, you have the opportunity to be someone whom children can count on to be present on more than an occasional basis. Children need to feel that they can talk to you in confidence and without ridicule or criticism. Children expect that what you present in class is accurate and useful. Attitude. Children like teachers who are positive, upbeat, confident, cheerful, friendly and willing to help. Leave your personal problems at home and give children your undivided attention. 3 3

Skills 101 Fun. Adults tend to be serious and preoccupied. While the subject matter you present in class is serious in nature, the atmosphere of the class does not have to be dreary. This doesn t mean that you have to act silly or let chaos reign in the classroom. It means that you can enjoy games with your children, find joy in their discoveries and maintain a happy classroom environment. Acceptance of feelings. Empathize with the feelings of the children in your class. Children respond to situations with emotions rather than rational logic. Their reactions may seem childish because they have not yet learned how to control their feelings or think through situations. While you need not agree with everything children say, you can still be a sounding board and a sympathetic ear. Acceptance of ideas. Encourage children to think aloud and ask questions. Children are more involved in learning when they feel that their ideas are accepted. One way to encourage brainstorming is to ask open-ended questions instead of questions that ask for a recitation of facts ( How did the lame man feel when he could walk again? How do you think David felt when he heard King Saul s threat to hurt him? ). Questions with more than one right answer are less threatening because they make children feel less fearful of giving a wrong answer. Enabling questions. Allow children to make some choices instead of always telling them what to do. Encourage children to find answers on their own. Ask children what phrases or slogans best summarize the lesson s Bible truth. Children like to feel they have an important role in the classroom. Praise and affirmation. Compliment and encourage children frequently, mentioning specific right actions you have observed. The more children feel valued, the more they participate in learning and feel that God accepts them. Nonverbal signs. Use body language to show acceptance. Sit at the children s eye level and avoid hovering over children. Nod and lean forward when a child is speaking. Smile frequently! Touching. Due to concerns over child abuse, touching can be a difficult issue in an educational setting. While you don t wish to appear cool and aloof, neither do you want your well-meaning gestures to be misinterpreted. Placing a hand for a few seconds on a child s upper arm, shoulder or upper back may be appropriate to express concern. Holding a child s hand to lead the child across a room, play a game or participate in prayer would be appropriate. Brief hugs are fine when you and the child have over time developed a trusting relationship. But a child may be 4

Skills 101 uncomfortable if you continue touching him or her too long or too frequently. In any case, it is always safer to have two adults present in a classroom at all times. Child-Child Relationships Trust and security. In many churches, children don t know each other. They go to different schools during the week and may live in distant parts of the city. The children won t automatically get to know each other, much less develop relationships of trust. Start by having children learn their peers names (name games are fun) and something about each other (pets, hobbies, siblings, sports, favorite performers, TV shows, etc.). Maintain a safe place where children won t be hurt and their belongings won t be stolen. Group activities. A good way to develop friendships is through group work. Children bond when they have a common goal or problem to solve. Use skits, music, games and cooperative art projects to have children work in pairs, trios and small groups. Be sure each person in the group has a task and is not left out. One person from each group can share the group s discovery or project with the rest of the class, but always acknowledge the contributions of each child. Prayer. During class prayer time, encourage children to pray for each other. This may at first be uncomfortable or threatening for children. But you can model sentence prayers for children to hear and imitate. As children feel comfortable in telling things for which they are thankful and/or their concerns, invite other children to pray for them. Children can say together, Thank You, God, when someone describes something for which he or she is thankful. 5 5

Mark 11:1-10 The King Is Coming Dear Teacher, Writing about praising Jesus shouldn t be hard. But for some reason, this week the task seemed to put it bluntly daunting! In today s Bible story, it seemed pretty EASY for the crowds who followed Jesus to praise Him. They threw caution to the wind when they spread their coats on the road to line Jesus path! They didn t hesitate to shout, Hosanna! I realized that for those who truly followed Jesus, praise flowed from one important thing: They RECOGNIZED Jesus as Lord and KING! Praising Jesus flows naturally for me WHEN He reigns in my life. But this week s burdens seemed to briefly overshadow the power and majesty of Jesus. What a God-given, timely reminder for me that Jesus is worth praising, that my burdens aren t THAT big and that He alone IS KING! Indeed, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! (Psalm 147:1.) Big Idea Jesus deserves my praise. Action Plan Talk about reasons and ways to praise Jesus. Bible Verse Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! Psalm 147:1 Kristina Fucci Editorial Assistant 6

Jesus enters Jerusalem. Mark 11:1-11 Spring Lesson 1 Connecting You to Jesus When Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, He was making a deliberate statement: He was saying that He is the Messiah! Jesus didn t hide who He is or why He was there He meant to provoke the Jewish leaders who opposed Him. This was the beginning of the end of Jesus life on Earth. But it prepared the way for Him to die for the sins of the world and then to LIVE again! Lesson Materials The basics (see contents) T-shirt Story props (see p. 9) Materials for Art or Game activity (see pp. 14-15) Lesson Extras! 1. Help your kids learn the order of the books in the Bible by playing Order Up (on CD-ROM). Use the first five books of the New Testament for this lesson. 2. Students discover a portion of today s Bible verse as they complete Lesson 1 Bible Story Coloring Page (on CD-ROM). 7

Get Thinking (10-15 minutes) Welcome students and help them begin to think about today s Big Idea. Praiseworthy Before class, tape butcher paper to top of table. Draw conversation balloons on paper and print one of the following words or phrases in each balloon: You did it! Congratulations! Yay! or Great job! Read words and phrases aloud. Students add drawings near each conversation balloon to show situations in which people might call out these praises. If time allows, students may add more words or phrases of praise and draw additional pictures. Big Idea Jesus deserves my praise. you need Butcher paper, tape, markers. Connect: Tell me about the situations you drew. Who might call out praises in those situations? When is a time someone has cheered for you? (At my soccer game. When I did well on a test.) Today we ll hear about some people who cheered and shouted praises to someone who REALLY deserved their praises! 8

Get God s Word The King Is Coming Tell the following story summary in your own words, asking discussion questions as indicated. Story Starter Spring Lesson 1 (15-25 minutes) We all travel somewhere! Sometimes we make short trips to places like school or church, and other times we take long trips with our families. Let s see if you can guess some of the ways that people travel. Pantomime driving a car by positioning hands as if on a steering wheel. Students guess action. Continue acting out different ways people travel (airplane, bicycle, skateboard, walking, etc.) as students continue to guess actions. We use many different ways of getting places. In today s Bible story, we are going to hear about a time Jesus rode a donkey, or a colt, into a big city. Help students find Mark 11:2 in their Bibles and find the word colt. Let s listen to find out about Jesus ride! Storytelling idea you need Bible for yourself and each student, Lesson 1 Poster, scraps of cloth or other similar materials, toy person, T-shirt. Collect scraps of cloth or other similar materials for students to lay down as the story is told. Use a toy person as directed throughout the story to demonstrate Jesus story actions. (Optional: Bring a toy donkey for toy person to sit on.) Traveling Toward Jerusalem It was getting very close to the end of Jesus life on Earth. He was traveling with His disciples from Jericho toward Jerusalem. Move toy person as if walking. By this time, many people LOVED Jesus. They were ready to make Jesus their king! But the religious rulers did NOT want Jesus as their king! TIP Read aloud information about the title of the book of Mark on page 216 in What the Bible Is All About for Kids. You see, most of the Pharisees, religious teachers, priests and political leaders HATED Jesus! Jesus was 9

popular, and it annoyed these men. Jesus didn t do things their way! He healed diseases that no one else could cure. He told evil spirits to leave, and the spirits left. And many of the people loved Him! These things made the leaders VERY nervous! What if the people didn t listen to THEM anymore? What would happen if the people listened to Jesus instead? Jesus nearly always surprised people! And as He came to Jerusalem this time, He was going to surprise EVERYONE. Jesus wasn t coming to Jerusalem to become the new king, as people hoped. Jesus was coming to Jerusalem to DIE. He would take the punishment for everyone s sin and then He would live again! Finding a Donkey As Jesus and His disciples got close to Jerusalem, Jesus asked His friends to do a STRANGE thing. Listen as I read Mark 11:2-3 to find out what Jesus wanted them to do. Jesus KNEW that people would think it was weird for strangers to just walk up and untie someone else s donkey. So He told His friends what to say if anyone asked them questions. Two of Jesus disciples went into the village. Sure enough, there was a young donkey tied right where Jesus said it would be. As Jesus friends untied the donkey, some people DID say, Hey! What are you doing? The disciples told the people just what Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go! When they got back to Jesus with the donkey, Jesus friends tossed their coats over the animal s back to make a place for Jesus to sit. Then Jesus climbed onto the donkey and headed for Jerusalem. Place toy person in a sitting position as if on a donkey. Welcoming the King Jesus and His disciples were NOT the only people on the road that day! It was nearly time for Passover to begin. 10

Spring Lesson 1 Big Idea Jesus deserves my praise. Passover was a BIG celebration for the Israelites. It was a time for them to remember how God had freed them from slavery in Egypt long ago. Invite two volunteers to lay down some cloth scraps. MANY people were coming up the road and this crowded road became a parade route for Jesus! People started spreading the word. Jesus is coming! He s the One who has done lots of miracles! Maybe He is the Messiah! More and more people got excited. Jesus is coming! Maybe He will be our new king! Some people began to spread their coats on the road to make a special path for Jesus. Invite two more volunteers to lay down some cloth scraps. Others ran to the fields and cut branches to lay in the road. Some people might have followed Jesus from Jericho. Jericho had lots of palm trees, so the people could have brought palm branches from there and then laid them in the road. Suddenly, there was a beautiful, bright carpet of coats and branches covering the dusty road! People were doing the sorts of things that they d do if they were welcoming a KING! Invite two more volunteers to lay down some more cloth scraps. Then people began to shout and sing! They shouted and sang the same words they always did for Passover: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Many of the people didn t really understand who Jesus is, but they were excited to welcome Jesus as KING! Invite remaining volunteers to lay down the rest of the cloth scraps. TIP Show Lesson 1 Poster and ask students, How do you think these people feel? 11

Wrap-Up When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, He came as the King and Messiah God had promised to send! The people sang LOUDLY to praise Jesus. Even though they didn t fully understand who Jesus really is, praising Him was the right thing for them to do. Action Plan Talk about reasons and ways to praise Jesus. Read Psalm 147:1 aloud. We can praise Jesus, too! And not only CAN we praise Him, but it is also RIGHT for us to praise Him! Jesus is God s Son, the Messiah sent to pay for our sin! He deserves ALL our praise! Show T-shirt. Lay T-shirt on the floor. The people in Jerusalem didn t just SING praises to Jesus. They praised Him with their ACTIONS, too! Even though they didn t have a red carpet to roll out for their king, they used what they had: palm branches and coats. We can praise Jesus with what we have, too! We can praise Jesus with the things we do, the words we say and the things we have. Because Jesus is God s Son, He deserves our praise! Connecting Kids to Jesus When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, He wanted everyone to know that He is God s Son! Jesus didn t hide who He is or why He was in the city. Jesus knew that His life on Earth was ending. But He also knew that by dying, He d save all of us from our sin and then He d LIVE again forever! 12

Get Talking Whiteboard Time (25-30 minutes) Spring Lesson 1 On whiteboard, print today s verse. In another color, underline the word praise. What does praise mean? Praise is a way to honor someone. Circle the words good, pleasant and fitting. What about the circled words? Good, pleasant and fitting describe something that is right and enjoyable to do! What are some good, pleasant AND fitting things? Listen to Psalm 147:1 to hear one important action that these words describe! Read verse aloud. Praising Jesus is good, pleasant AND fitting! It s not only good to praise Jesus, but it s also RIGHT to praise Him! He is God s Son and the Savior of the world! He deserves our praise! Distribute Lesson 1 Kid Talk Cards. Students look at the pictures on Side 1 and then cross out the wrong words to tell how the people praised Jesus. Why did the people in Jerusalem praise Jesus? (He had done miracles. They wanted Him to be their king.) Why didn t the religious leaders like Jesus? (They wanted people to follow them, not Jesus.) What celebration was taking place in Jerusalem? (Passover.) What did the people do to praise Jesus? (They spread coats and palm branches on the road. They sang. They shouted Hosanna! ) Students look at Side 2 of Kid Talk Cards. Students collect letters as they trace a path through the maze and then write in the blanks the letters they collected. Point to photo of T-shirt. People praised Jesus with coats and palm branches! Remember that you can praise Jesus with what you have, too! What can a kid your age do to praise Jesus? (Sing. Pray. Tell others about Jesus. Thank Him for all the good things He s done. Be kind to everyone.) Why does Jesus deserve our praise? (He is God s Son. He forgives our sins. He takes care of us.) What s one way you can praise Jesus this week? What can you do to show that you are glad to praise Jesus? 13

Prayer Invite volunteers to tell prayer requests as you write them on the whiteboard. Then pray with students about the needs and concerns they mention. Invite a good reader to read Psalm 150:6. Prayer is one of the ways we can praise Jesus! Art Give each student a Palm-Branch Pattern. Students cut out palm branches. Students fringe the edges of their branches by making cuts about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) long around the edges of their leaves. With markers, students print I can praise Jesus! on palm branches and then decorate branches as desired. Students glue popsicle sticks to bottom of palm branches to make handles and then wave branches to praise Jesus! you need One Palm-Branch Pattern (from CD-ROM) printed on green card stock for each student, scissors, markers, popsicle sticks. Connect: There are many ways we can praise Jesus! One of those ways is to tell others about the great things Jesus has done! This week, show your palm branch to a friend or a family member and tell them some reasons we have to praise Jesus! TIP Make a sample palm branch ahead of time for kids to look at while they are creating their own. 14

Spring Lesson 1 Game Divide group into two teams of equal numbers. Invite teams to line up side-by-side, facing each other as in Steal the Bacon, and to leave seven to ten feet between teams. Behind each team, place a towel and a palm branch. One team numbers off from one end of the line, while the other team numbers off from the other end. Call out a number. The two students with that number pick up their team s towel and palm branch, run to the center of the playing area, lay towel on the floor, wave palm branch and shout Hosanna! Students then pick up their team s towel and run back to their places, replacing materials. Team with the first student to get back repeats the Bible verse together. Play several rounds, asking winning team to answer one of the following questions instead of repeating the Bible verse: What is one reason we have to praise Jesus? What is one way we can praise Jesus? Connect: There are many reasons Jesus deserves our praise. Jesus provides what we need, and He met our biggest need: to be rescued from our sin! We can praise Jesus for His amazing LOVE! Get Going Direct students to look at Side 2 of their Kid Talk Cards again. Jesus is WORTHY of ALL our praise because He is God s Son and our Savior! Play This Is How We Know (track 5 on Worship CD), inviting students to listen or sing along. This week, remember the way you chose to praise Jesus and do it! Distribute Lesson 1 Family Fridge Fun papers as students leave. you need Bibles, two towels, two palm branches. 15