:Lyout 1 11/2/09 3:07 PM Pge 171 Gret Bnquet Luke 14:16-24 sy yes to god God s Word Here I m! I stnd t th e door nd knock. If nyone hers my voice nd opens the door, I will come in nd et wi th him, nd he with me. Reveltion 3:20 For Younger Child ren: Techer s Devotionl Imgine tht footbll fn hs been invited to Superbowl prty prty AT the Superbowl, thrown especilly for fmily nd friends of the plyers! Airfre is pid nd the tickets re witing. Do you think tht the fn would likely sty home becuse the fn got pper cut or needs to give the dog bth? This might seem like n extreme exmple but when it comes to the Kingdom of God, some people s behvior might mke you think pper cut DOES outweigh Superbowl prty invittion! Jesus sys, Listen! W hen you her bout my love for you, be my friend. God s Word & M e Be redy to sy yes to God s invittion so tht you cn enjoy life with Him now nd forever. In prble Jesus told to Phrisee, He used fbulous bnquet s symbol of the hevenly kingdom. Though number of people ccepted the initil invittion, they suddenly gve excuses bout why they couldn t ttend when it ws time to go. A business del (buying field), possessions (oxen) nd personl reltionship (mrrige) were ll deemed more importnt thn the invittion to this lvish prty. So the host gve the guests plces to others including the blind, lme nd poor. Jesus well-educted Jewish listeners probbly recognized tht the story s undesirbles might hve been Gentiles nd tht the generous host represented God. To think tht non-jewish people nd undesirble ones t tht could be invited into God s kingdom would hve shocked Phrisees who prided themselves on their bility to follow Jewish lw to try to ern God s fvor. Tody, business dels, mteril possessions nd personl reltionships still prevent people from putting God first. But through His boundless love, God continues to invite ech of us to join the gret bnquet nd to be prt of His hevenly kingdom. There s nothing more importnt thn sying yes! to His generous invittion. It s better thn n exclusive Superbowl prty, ny dy nd it s forever! 171
:Lyout 1 11/2/09 3:07 PM Pge 172 Plnning Pge Choose which centers you will provide nd the order in which children will prticipte in them (see pp. 14-18 for schedule tips nd pp. 24-25 for guidelines in combining older nd younger children). Also pln who will led ech center (for stffing tips see pp. 19-21). Use the reproducible plnning sheet (p. 238) to record your plns. Gme Center Bible Story Center Bible Story Younger Child Option Gret Bnquet Luke 14:16-24 Ply gme wlking round nd jumping into circles mde from hul hoops or yrn nd then tlk bout how Jesus wnts to be their friend Adventure Box (Younger Child) Use props (fncy-looking invittion crd, fncy plte, cup nd utensils) to demonstrte story ction Adventure Box (Older Child) Use props (fncy-looking invittion crd, fncy plte, cup nd utensils) to demonstrte story ction Mterils Bible, severl long lengths of yrn Older Child Option Ply gme hopping from rock to rock in rinforest pond nd then describing situtions in which knowing Jesus cn help them Mterils Art Center Bible, Prble Quest CD-ROM nd CD plyer, Pttern Pge (p. 182), msking tpe Younger Child Option Mke nd decorte crds s reminders of Jesus offer of friendship Coloring/Puzzle Center Mterils Bible, crd stock, pper in vriety of colors, scissors or pper cutter, glue sticks, cryons, mrker Younger Child Option Review the Bible story while completing coloring pge Older Child Option Mke nd decorte yrd signs bout Jesus nd His love nd tlk bout wys Jesus shows His love Mterils Coloring Pge (p. 183) for ech child, cryons Mterils Older Child Option Bible, pper, mrkers, crd stock, bmboo skewers, msking tpe Review Reveltion 3:20 while completing puzzle pge Mterils Puzzle Pge (p. 184) for ech child, pencils Worship Center For the Younger nd Older Child Prticipte in lrge-group ctivities to review Bible verse nd to worship God together Mterils 172 Bibles, Prble Quest CD-ROM nd CD plyer, song chrts (pp. 246-247), inflted blloons (one for ech tem, plus severl extrs)
:Lyout 1 11/2/09 3:07 PM Pge 173 Bonus Theme Ides Bonus Theme Ides cn be used t ny time during this session: s n dditionl ctivity center, to extend the session for longer time, or for dded theme excitement. t Mix Rinforelsrge spoons, disposble cups nd ried owls, cshew nuts, d suring cups, b s, e ip m ch l r n ve n se b Collect foods: tke turns these rinforest chips. Children te ol oc ch t lest three of s, ke mix. Ech nks, coconut fl nt into bowls nd stirring to pinepple chu tril mix. die this rinforest p of ech ingre ys cu jo 1 g en n d ri n su y e s nd m bowl to fill hlfw rte bowl. Child chooses food to in p cu s ip d child in sep p.) vide ech food in his or her cu ls fu n oo sp l (Optionl: Pro r ve oon to plce se uses plstic sp Post note lerting prents to the use of food. Also, check registrtion forms for possible food llergies. R Plce strip of infores m into two t Tug sking t te of W Double ms. Invite tw pe in n open r re of Trouble o volun the room teers fro Tug-ofends of W m.d e mskin jump rope. Pl r. Two volunte ch tem to p ivide group g-tpe li ers stn rticip yer who te in d ne pu incresin g chlle wins the round lls the opposin nd hold oppos ite (Round nge, wit g plye. Tems ro h 1 p one hn : Stnd bckw different plye rticipte in se ver the r rs ve d etc.) Ke ; Round 3: Ho ds nd pull the prticipting in rl rounds of ld rope ep tll rope; R ech ro wit y o u the win ning te of points, doub h one hnd n und 2: Hold ro nd. pe with ling the m, or ju d stnd n st enjoy o the gm umber of poin n one foot; ts you g e for the ive to fun! rfllesrs, or snd-nde t W nes nd rful contin Wondned re, lrge plstidc, smll rocks nd stothe rin- oor s ith sn ipes. In lce (outd dren cn crete w plstic tubes or p build rivers nd p e r Prep chil nd dren n le) where lls. Chil nd tools if they c r wter tb ide vriety of s ers nd wterf e children to see fo s r e h pitc iv ov g wter. Pr re re lots of r d stones. Encour Provide wter in our ol. he op n forest, t the snd, rocks river or by po Children my ls g f. in terflls ne end o pools us rfll t o ers or to crete w te w build to riv s. nd pipe to pour in children ugh plstic tubes ro wter th 173
Bible Story Center for younger children Luke 14:16-24 Introduction Welcome your rinforest explorers by sying I went to the rinforest nd I sw (monkey). Led children to tke turns nming other nimls nd repeting the list with every turn. Then show Adventure Box. Wht do you think is in our Adventure Box tody? Let s find out! Untie box. Remove items from box nd use them to demonstrte story ction s you tell the story. Tell the Story Jesus ws eting dinner with group of people. As they te, Jesus told story to help these people understnd something very importnt bout God s fmily. (Set out dishes nd utensils s you spek s if setting fncy tble.) Adventure Box In crdbord or wooden box lbeled Adventure, plce Bible, fncylooking invittion crd, fncy plte, cup nd utensils. Tie rope or brown yrn round the box or crte. A mn plnned to hve big prty t his house. There would be lots of good food nd music. When everything ws redy, the mn sent his servnt to tell the guests tht it ws time to come. (Show invittion nd invite children to pss it.) But when the guests herd the news tht it ws time to come to the prty, they didn t get redy to go! Insted, the guests mde excuses bout why they could not come to the prty! One guest sid he ws too busy looking t the oxen (like cows) tht he hd just bought. Another guest sid he needed to go look t some lnd he hd just bought. And nother mn sid he hd just gotten mrried. He ws too busy with his new wife. The mn giving the prty herd ll these excuses, but he still wnted to hve the prty! So the mn told his servnt to bring ll of the poor, the blind, the crippled nd the lme people to his house for the fest. The servnt rn through the streets. He sked everyone he sw who ws poor, blind, crippled or lme to come to the prty. And they ll cme! Some people crried others who couldn t wlk. Other people led those who couldn t see. Finlly the whole bnquet hll ws filled up. They te delicious food nd herd lovely music. Everybody hd wonderful time except those people who mde excuses nd did not come to the prty! God s Word & Me Jesus told this story to remind us tht no one should mke n excuse when God invites us to be prt of His fmily. God loves ll people. He doesn t wnt nyone to miss chnce to know Him. In the Bible, Jesus sys, Listen! When you her bout my love for you be my friend. Jesus wnts us to be prt of His fmily. We wnt to lwys be redy to sy yes to Him. Pry, Der Jesus, thnk You for loving us. Thnk You for wnting us to be prt of Your fmily. We love You. Amen. sy yes to god 174
Bible Story Center for older children Luke 14:16-24 Introduction Let s ply Best Prty Ever! Here s how to ply: I could sy, I hd the best prty ever nd we te bnn splits. The word tht completes the next sentence hs to begin with the lst letter of the previous word. So, the next person s ide hs to begin with S. Tht person could sy, I hd the best prty ever nd we plyed soccer. Children ply until everyone hs dded n ide for the best prty ever. Those re ll gret prty ides. Tody we re going to her story Jesus told bout n mzing prty! Wht do you think is in our Adventure Box tody? Let s find out! Untie box. Remove items from box nd use them to demonstrte story ction s you tell the story. Adventure Box In crdbord or wooden box lbeled Adventure, plce Bible, fncylooking invittion crd, fncy plte, cup nd utensils. Tie rope or brown yrn round the box or crte. Tell the Story One dy Jesus ws hving dinner with religious leder clled Phrisee. A Phrisee is someone who tried very hrd to obey every prt of the religious lws in Jesus time. This mn nd his friends were wtching Jesus crefully, looking to see if He did nything wrong. They wnted Jesus to do something wrong, so they could criticize him. During the mel, Jesus told them this prble. Once there ws welthy mn who hd wonderful ide! I ll pln nd prepre gret bnquet, he decided, nd invite my friends to come. I ll serve them dinner they ll NEVER forget! In Bible times, bnquet might lst for mny dys. People sometimes trveled long distnces to ttend. In mny cses, the invited guests styed overnight t their host s home, te his food nd were entertined by musicins nd dncers. Invittions would be sent out erly. Lter, those who hd sid they could come would be reminded or sent for when the bnquet ws ctully redy. So first, the mn sent invittions to his friends to come to the prty. Come to my prty, der friends! We ll enjoy gret bnquet together! And his friends replied, Of course, we ll be there! Finlly the big dy rrived! He sent his servnt to ech invited guest to tell them: Now everything is redy. Come to the bnquet! The mn s servnt cme to the home of one of the invited guests nd sid, Come now to the bnquet! Our mster is witing for you to be there s you promised. But the first invited guest sid, I ve just bought field, nd I must go nd see it. Sorry, but I cn t come fter ll. The servnt continued on to the next invited guest. He sid, Come now to the bnquet! Our mster is witing for you to be there s you promised. If only it were t different time, the invited guest shrugged. I ve just bought some prize oxen. (Oxen re like cows.) I must exmine them, weigh them nd be sure tht they re just wht I wnted. Tell your mster it is now simply impossible for me to come. Finlly, the servnt went to the house of nother mn who hd been invited. He sid, Come now to the bnquet! Our mster is witing for you to be there s you promised. The mn replied, Oh, sorry, I cn t come fter ll. I ve just gotten mrried! I m much too busy to ttend. The host wited t home nd finlly he herd the sound of footsteps in the courtyrd. But it ws his servnt, returning with the sd news. The mn ws UPSET when he herd bout his guests refusls! He hd plnned so mny wonderful surprises for them. Yet, they hd mde excuses nd broken their promises to ttend. But insted of cncelling the prty, the mn gve his servnt new commnd. Quickly, he commnded, go into the city! Tell everyone you see to come to my bnquet! Invite the poor fmilies who re hungry! Bring bck the disbled ones nd the blind beggrs! 175
So the servnt rn through the city streets nd down the bck lleys. Come now to the bnquet! Our mster is witing for you! And they did! The poor crried those who couldn t wlk. Lme people led the blind people. All of them entered the beutiful bnquet hll. When they were seted, the servnt reported to the mster. Sir, wht you commnded hs been done but there s still room left in the hll. Go out gin, insisted the mster. This time go out to the highwys. Find those who re tired of trveling, those who re resting beside the rods. Find the homeless ones who sleep under the bridges. I wnt my house to be FILLED with guests! Once gin, the servnt set out. Soon he returned with MORE guests. At lst the bnquet hll ws FULL! And wht sight! These guests hd never eten such delicious food. Never hd they herd such lovely music or seen such fscinting entertinment. There ws lughter nd songs nd the hll echoed with hppy voices. The mster ws stisfied with his prty! He sid, I tell you, not one of those men who ws invited will get tste of my bnquet. Jesus story clerly wrned ginst mking excuses to God when He invites us to become prt of His fmily. God s Word & Me Sometimes kids might think tht God s invittion to join His fmily is just for grownups, or they mke n excuse, sying, I ll think bout tht lter. But God wnts us to be people who listen now nd obey Him now especilly when it comes to joining His fmily! Wht do you think of the excuses of the people who were invited to the bnquet? (They were bd excuses! They showed the people invited relly didn t cre bout their friend.) sy yes to god Invite child to red Reveltion 3:20 loud. Wht do you think Jesus mens by eting together? (Hving reltionship, friendship.) Wht hppens if we don t open the door to Jesus? (We miss out on God s slvtion.) Just s the generous mn who plnned the prty showed love nd invited everyone to come who wnted to, God loves everyone nd wnts them to ccept His invittion to become prt of His fmily! Don t miss out on life with Him now nd forever! Pry with children, sking God s Spirit to help them know how much God loves them nd offers them slvtion through Jesus. Invite children interested in tlking bout joining God s fmily to meet with you fter clss (see pge 12 for Leding Child to Christ ). 176
Gme Center for younger children Luke 14:16-24 Collect Bible, severl long lengths of yrn. Prepre On the floor, use yrn to form severl circles 6 feet (1.8 m) in dimeter. Use one circle for ech group of up to six children. Do 1. Children sit round yrn circles. One plyer in ech circle is chosen s It nd begins to wlk round the outside of the circle. It tps someone on the bck, nd tht child stnds nd begins to wlk round the circle, following the first child. (Optionl: Demonstrte the gme ction yourself in prctice round.) Then the second child tps third child nd tht child begins to wlk round following the first nd second children. Ply continues until ll children in the circle re wlking round the circle. Cll out Come to the circle! All children jump into the circle. 2. Children sit in circle gin. Ply gme gin with new child cting s It. Repet s time permits. God s Word Here I m! I stnd t the door nd knock. If nyone hers my voice nd opens the door, I will come in nd et with him, nd he with me. Reveltion 3:20 For Younger Children: Jesus sys, Listen! When you her bout my love for you, be my friend. God s Word & Me Be redy to sy yes to God s invittion so tht you cn enjoy life with Him now nd forever. Tlk About In this gme, we tpped people to show tht we wnted them to come be with us. Then it ws fun to jump into the circle together to be with ll our friends. Who re some of your friends? Jesus wnts to be your friend, too. In the Bible, Jesus sys, Listen! When you her bout My love for you, be my friend. Jesus loves ech of you so much! And Jesus is the best friend we cn ever hve! Jesus cn help us every plce tht we go. Where re some of the plces you go? (Church. Preschool. Bbysitter. Prk.) Jesus helps us by giving us people to tke cre of us. Let s pry nd thnk Jesus for loving us nd for wnting to be our best friend. Pry briefly, Der Jesus, thnk You for loving (nme children in your group). Thnk You for helping us nd being our friend. Amen. For Older Children Mke the circles lrger, plying outdoors if possible. Insted of wlking round the circle, children run. When ll children hve jumped inside the circle, led them in repeting Reveltion 3:20. 177
Gme Center for older children Luke 14:16-24 Collect Bible, Prble Quest CD-ROM nd CD plyer, Pttern Pge (p. 182), msking tpe. Prepre Photocopy Pttern Pge nd cut prt to form rocks in rinforest pond. Mke t lest one rock for ech child. Use msking tpe to crete three lrge concentric squres on the floor. Adjust size of squres ccording to the number of children you estimte will be plying this gme. Lightly tpe one edge of ech rock to msking tpe squres s shown in sketch. Do 1. Divide group into three equl tems. Tem one stnds on rocks in outer squre. Tem two stnds on rocks in center squre nd so on. (It s OK if there is not plyer stnding on ech rock.) 2. In this gme, see if you cn hop round in this rinforest pond. As you ply Following Jesus, children hop clockwise round squres from rock to rock. After 10 to 15 seconds, stop the music nd hve children sit down. 3. Choose child from ech squre to pick up the nerest rock. Children red words on their rocks. Any child uses the words on the rocks to tell sitution in which child his or her ge might be: A kid goes with his friend to the prk nd they get lost. (Tip: Be prepred to tell sitution before sking children to give their ides.) Tlk with children bout how it helps to know tht Jesus is with them in the described sitution. Children tpe rocks to floor gin. Repet gme s time permits, ech time choosing different children to pick up rocks. Tlk About In our gme tody we re tlking bout the difference it cn mke in our lives when we remember tht Jesus is with us. Wht do you know bout Jesus? Wht words would you use to describe Him? Listen to wht Jesus sid in the Bible. Red or hve child red Reveltion 3:20. This verse mens tht Jesus is inviting us to ccept His love nd become prt of God s fmily. Then we cn depend on Jesus help everywhere we go. When hve you been in sitution like this? Wht hppened? Why would it be importnt to remember Jesus love nd help in tht sitution? (Remind us to pry nd sk Jesus wht to do. Helps us remember Jesus promises to us.) For Younger Children God s Word Here I m! I stnd t the door nd knock. If nyone hers my voice nd opens the door, I will come in nd et with him, nd he with me. Reveltion 3:20 For Younger Children: Jesus sys, Listen! When you her bout my love for you, be my friend. God s Word & Me Be redy to sy yes to God s invittion so tht you cn enjoy life with Him now nd forever. Be redy to red words on crds with children, nd tlk with them bout ge-pproprite situtions in which children cn sk Jesus, their Friend, for help. 178
Art Center for younger children Luke 12:13-21 Collect Bible, crd stock, pper in vriety of colors, scissors or pper cutter, glue sticks, cryons, mrker. Prepre Fold ech sheet of crd stock in hlf to mke crd. Cut pper in strips of vrious lengths nd t lest 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) wide. Mke smple crd. Do 1. Show your smple crd nd red the words inside to children. Give ech child prepred crd. 2. Children choose strips nd glue them onto front of crd in pttern of their own choosing. 3. Print Jesus is (Zoey s) friend on the inside of the crd, sying the words loud s you print them. Child decortes the inside of the crd nd tkes it home s reminder of Jesus love for him or her. Suggest children drw themselves, hppy fces, trce their hnds, etc. Tlk About Tody you get to mke crd tht you cn tke home s reminder tht Jesus loves you nd is your friend. In the Bible, Jesus sys, Listen! When you her bout My love for you, be My friend. Jesus loves ech of you so much! And Jesus is the best friend we cn ever hve! Becuse Jesus loves us nd is our friend, He helps us hve the things tht we need. Wht re some foods you like to et? Wht re some nimls you like to see? No mtter where we go, or how young or old we re, Jesus cn be our friend nd help us. Where would you like to go? Wht would you like to do when you re older? Jesus will lwys love you! Pry briefly, thnking Jesus for His love nd for being our friend. For older Children God s Word Here I m! I stnd t the door nd knock. If nyone hers my voice nd opens the door, I will come in nd et with him, nd he with me. Reveltion 3:20 For Younger Children: Jesus sys, Listen! When you her bout my love for you, be my friend. God s Word & Me Be redy to sy yes to God s invittion so tht you cn enjoy life with Him now nd forever. Cut strips the width of the crds, but cut them t vrious ngles (wide t one end of the strip nd nrrow t the other end of the strip). Children fit them together on the front of their crds before gluing them into plce. Hve children write pryer to Jesus on the inside of their crds before drwing designs of their own choosing. 179
Art Center for older children Luke 14:16-24 Collect Bible, pper, mrkers, crd stock, bmboo skewers, msking tpe; optionl cler Con-Tct pper, scissors. Prepre Mke smple yrd sign s instructed below. Do 1. Red Reveltion 3:20 to children nd then sk them to suggest sentences tht either describe Jesus or encourge people to ccept His love (Jesus wnts to be your friend. Jesus is my friend now nd forever. Don t miss out on life with Jesus! Sy yes to Jesus). Print sentences on pper for ll to see. Help children determine how to divide ech sentence into three prts. 2. Give ech child three sheets of crd stock. Child mkes yrd signs by choosing sentence nd writing it on crd stock in lrge letters, one prt of the sentence on ech sheet of crd stock. Child my lso dd decortions to their signs. (Optionl: Cut Con-Tct pper to fit signs nd cover signs for durbility.) 3. Child tpes ech completed sign to bmboo skewer. Ask ech child to tell where they will disply their signs, or children my stick them in the ground or lwn of your church fcility. God s Word Here I m! I stnd t the door nd knock. If nyone hers my voice nd opens the door, I will come in nd et with him, nd he with me. Reveltion 3:20 For Younger Children: Jesus sys, Listen! When you her bout my love for you, be my friend. God s Word & Me Be redy to sy yes to God s invittion so tht you cn enjoy life with Him now nd forever. Tlk About Wht re some of the importnt things you think kids your ge need to know bout Jesus? (Jesus is God s Son. Jesus lwys loves us. Jesus died on the cross to tke the punishment for sin.) Wht importnt things do you lern bout Jesus from His words in Reveltion 3:20? (Jesus wnts to be our friend. He wnts us to be prt of God s fmily.) Hve child red verse loud from Bible. Sometimes kids think they cn wit until they re grownups to py ttention to Jesus words. But why do you think it s importnt to sy yes to Jesus love nd offer of slvtion now? (To experience Jesus love nd help right wy. To rely on Jesus for mking good choices.) Wht re some of the resons people cn depend on Jesus to be friend who helps them now nd forever? (Jesus love lsts forever. Jesus keeps His promises. Jesus cres bout ech person.) Pry, thnking Jesus for His love nd friendship. For Younger Children Print Jesus loves you on signs. Some children my be ble to copy your letters nd write their own signs. Child decortes his or her sign nd ttches to skewer nd displys s directed bove. 180
Worship Center Luke 14:16-24 Collect Bibles, Prble Quest CD-ROM nd CD plyer, song chrts (pp. 246-247), inflted blloons (one for ech tem, plus severl extrs). Tem Gme Help children form tems of up to 10 plyers ech. Tems line up t one end of n open re of the room. Give first plyer on ech tem n inflted blloon. At your signl, child plces blloon between knees nd wlks to other side of the room, removes blloon nd holds it while running bck to tem. Continue until ech child hs hd turn. Bible Verse Gme Repet Reveltion 3:20 loud with children. Jesus tlks bout knocking on door nd opening door. Wht Jesus mens is tht He wnts to be prt of our lives. He wnts to be our friend. When we open the door, it mens we ccept Jesus love nd offer of slvtion. Children wlk round the room while you ply Song Nme to Come on CD. After 10 to 15 seconds, stop the music. Ech child finds prtner. (Be redy to be prtner with child if needed.) Led one person in ech pir to sy the first prt of the verse prefced by Jesus sid. After sying the words door nd knock, children who were speking knock on the floor. Then led the other person in ech pir to sy the rest of the verse, gin prefcing it by sying Jesus sid. Repet severl times s time permits. God s Word Here I m! I stnd t the door nd knock. If nyone hers my voice nd opens the door, I will come in nd et with him, nd he with me. Reveltion 3:20 For Younger Children: Jesus sys, Listen! When you her bout my love for you, be my friend. God s Word & Me Be redy to sy yes to God s invittion so tht you cn enjoy life with Him now nd forever. Song You, or nother leder, led children in singing God Gve dding motions nd/or clpping if desired. Pryer Jesus wnts everyone to ccept His love nd be prt of His fmily. Invite children to tell nmes of people for whom they would like pry. Led children in pryer, including the nmes children mentioned. Song You, or nother leder, led children in singing Following Jesus, dding motions nd/or clpping if desired. 181
Pttern Pge 182
Coloring/Puzzle Center Jesus tells bout big prty. Luke 14:16-24 Jesus loves you nd wnts to be your friend. Who re some other people Jesus loves? 183
Coloring/Puzzle Center A Puzzling Invittion! Some of the letters fell off this invittion! They re ll vowels. Help Henry figure out wht it sys. Hint: Drw line through ech vowel s you use it! Wht is wy you cn show you hve sid yes to God? Unscrmble the words on the blloons below to help Henry nswer! 184