Stop the Funeral! Luke 7:11-17 Dear Teacher, Jesus has shown compassion to us in huge ways: His coming to Earth, His death and resurrection, the Bible itself. But what about the little things? How about the unexpected way He answers a prayer, assuring us that He listens when we pray; the sermon that answers a question that s been prayed about all week long, confirming His care; a Bible verse that is stumbled across or a friend who decides to clean your house, proving His comfort in grief. These are all things that have happened in my life! In light of all the ways God has shown me compassion, my only reasonable response is to show His compassion Other people s grief and pain can be messy. But Jesus interrupted a funeral and dared to touch a dead body. What can I do to show His compassion to others this week? What can you do? Debbie Barber Associate Managing Editor Action Plan Plan and participate in ways to show compassion Bible Verse Live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8 Connecting You to Jesus When Jesus raised a man from the dead in the town of Nain, the people thought Jesus was a prophet. They praised God because He had come to help His people. While the people didn t understand who Jesus really was, they were right about one very important thing: God HAD come to help His people. Jesus is God Himself and has come to help all people, including you and me! The Box Bible Story Story Materials basics (see contents) of tissues Verse large sheet of paper, markers Starter small object, bowl of uncooked rice props (see p. 80) 77
Opening Music As children come into the large-group area, instruct them to stand up. Show Lesson 8: Gorilla Game on Media DVD, encouraging students to play the game. Then Merciful Jesus (on Media DVD or track 4 on Worship CD). Lead children in singing and doing motions (see Song Motion Chart on p. 142). Jesus is kind, compassionate and merciful. He will help us become more like Him. Icebreaker Everywhere we go, we see groups of people. Let s play a game in which we need to get into groups. The tricky part is that we need to get in groups with a certain number of people. Call out a number. Students get into groups of that number. Leaders may need to help some students to make sure everyone finds a group. In today s story, there was a group of people with a woman who was very sad. Later we will find out why the woman was so sad. Bible Verse (10 minutes) The Bible isn t just an old book that grown-ups read. It is full of good things for people of all ages, including you! Today s verse tells us how to treat others. Open your Bible to 1 Peter 3:8 and read it aloud. Let s make our Bible verse into a crossword using the key words. Print the word harmony in the center of a large sheet of paper. Invite volunteers to write other key words ( sympathetic, love, brothers, compassionate and humble ) that connect together as in a crossword puzzle. Thank you, volunteers, for helping fit together all the key words in our verse. Let s all say 1 Peter 3:8 aloud as I point to the key words on our crossword puzzle. TIP Greet kids as they arrive, and ask, What s the most amazing thing you have ever seen? Playlist Merciful Jesus All for Jesus I Will Trust in You I m Keepin My Eyes on Jesus Tip Students may not be able to spell key words from the verse. To help students, write down words on index cards and hand to volunteers. 78
Optional Game or Story Starter Ahead of time, collect two baskets and two soft balls. Playing games with partners can be more fun than playing alone. In today s game, we ll need partners who will work together. Choose four volunteers to play a tossing game. Volunteers form two teams. One partner for each team holds a basket while the other partner tries to throw a ball into the basket. The tossing partner needs to stay at least six feet away, but the catching partner can move to try to catch the ball. Time students to see how many times each set of partners can catch their ball in 60 seconds. Great job helping each other! Helping others is a way to show compassion to them. When we show compassion, we are being more like Jesus. In today s story, you will hear about a very sad woman whom Jesus showed compassion to. Music (15 minutes) Think about it for a moment: Jesus loves you. This is the same Jesus who healed people, died on the cross for our sins and came back to life again! Realizing that Jesus loves me makes me want to praise Him with all my heart! Lead children in singing and doing motions for All for Jesus (on Media DVD or track 1 on Worship CD; see Song Motion Chart on p. 139). Isn t it great to know that God hears ALL our prayers? God will meet all our needs! Lead students in singing and doing motions for I Will Trust in You (on Media DVD or track 3 on Worship CD; see Song Motion Chart on p. 141). I want to keep my eyes on Jesus, because He is a great example for us. Let s keep our eyes on Jesus as we try to be compassionate this week. Lead students in singing and doing motions for I m Keepin My Eyes on Jesus (on Media DVD or track 2 on Worship CD; see Song Motion Chart on p. 140). Story Starter Before class, hide a small object in a bowl of rice. I ve lost something in this bowl of rice and need someone to help me find it. Invite a volunteer to try to find the object with his or her eyes closed. When have you lost something that was very important to you? How did that make you feel? Volunteers answer. In today s story, a woman was very sad because she had lost someone very important to her. Let s find out who it was. 79
Stop the Funeral! (15 minutes) Luke 7:11-17 STORYTELLING IDEA Ahead of time, print Story Pictures 1-4 (from CD-ROM) and stretch a clothesline across the front of the storytelling area. As you tell the story, guide students to use clothespins to put up Story Pictures in story order on the clothesline. The Woman s Sick Son Today, like last week, you are going to break into groups and read today s story. When you re finished, we ll come back together and retell the story by putting pictures in the right order. Students sit with small-group leaders and read Luke 7:11-17 from their Bibles together. When students are finished, call them back together. What Happened? Now that you ve read the story, you ll be able to help put these pictures in order! Give Story Pictures 1-4 to different volunteers, and invite volunteers to stand up, holding the pictures so that others can see them. Tip Invite a volunteer to read aloud the description of chapters 4 9 of Luke on page 222 in What the Bible Is All About for Kids. After Jesus healed the Roman commander s servant, He went to a town called Nain. We know from the story that Jesus disciples and a large crowd were traveling along with Him. As Jesus came to entrance of the town, He saw a group of people. Which picture shows what happened next? ( PEOPLE CARRYING DEAD BODY! ) Student holding Story Picture 1 attaches it to clothesline. We know from the story that Jesus saw a group of people carrying a dead person in an open coffin. And Jesus saw a very sad woman she was a widow. The dead person the people were carrying was her only son. This woman s husband had already died, and now her son was dead, too. When Jesus saw the woman, He felt great compassion for aher. He told her not to cry. Which picture shows what happened next? ( JESUS 80 2013 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Elementary Large Group Leader Guide
TOUCHING BOX! ) Student holding Story Picture 2 attaches it to clothesline. We know from the story that Jesus went up and touched the coffin. Everyone standing around was totally still. No one moved. Then Jesus said, Young man, I say to you, get up! Which picture shows what happened next? ( MAN IS ALIVE! ) Student holding Story Picture 3 attaches it to clothesline. The Bible says that the dead man sat up and started talking! The people couldn t believe it! Jesus had raised the widow s son from the dead! Which picture shows what happened next? ( CROWD CELEBRATING! ) Student holding Story Picture 4 attaches it to clothesline. The people were filled with wonder! They praised God. They shouted that a great prophet was among them. They knew that God had come to be with His people! After what happened that day in Nain, the news about Jesus spread through Judea and the whole country. What Do You Think? The woman in this story was a widow. Her husband had died, and then her son died. How do you think the woman must have been feeling when Jesus saw her? ( SAD. UPSET. UNHAPPY. ) Jesus saw her and knew how sad and upset she was. How did Jesus feel when He saw the widow? ( COMPASSIONATE! ) Yes! It says Jesus heart went out to her. Jesus didn t want her to be upset. He didn t want her to cry. So what did Jesus do to help her? ( HEALED HER SON! ) Jesus wanted to help her, so He healed her son. He brought him back from the dead. How do you think the woman felt after she saw what Jesus did? ( HAP- PY! EXCITED! THANKFUL! ) She probably felt all those things and much, much more! Tip Guide students to open their Bibles to Luke 7:14-15 and follow along as you read what happened when Jesus told the young man to get up. Last week we learned that Jesus helped the Roman commander by healing his sick servant. Today we learned that Jesus helped the widow by bringing her son back from the dead. Jesus miracles helped others see just how powerful and amazing He was. People who were there that day told others about Jesus. And, as it says in the Bible, the news spread through Judea and across the whole country! Now everyone was starting to learn about Jesus and the miracles He d been performing! 2013 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Elementary Large Group Leader Guide 81
Wrap-Up When Jesus showed compassion to the widow in our story, her whole life changed! Our lives can change, too, because of Jesus love. Jesus loved people so much that He was willing to make a way for us to be part of God s family. Because of that love, we can show compassion to people who are sad and hurting, just like Jesus did. Read 1 Peter 3:8 aloud. Treating people in the ways this verse talks about shows love and compassion to them. Show box of tissues. When someone is upset and crying, a very simple way to show compassion is to give that person a tissue. And if you pay attention and pray for that person, you will find lots of other ways to be compassionate, too! When we see someone at school who is having a bad day or when a brother or sister gets hurt, we can use our words and actions to help that person. Treating others with compassion is a great way to thank Jesus for the love and compassion He has shown to us! Connecting Kids to Jesus When Jesus raised the young man from the dead, the people thought Jesus was a prophet a messenger from God. They praised God because He had come to help His people. While the people didn t understand who Jesus really was, they were right about one very important thing: God HAD come to help His people. Jesus IS the one true God, and He came to help all people, including you and me! Prayer Wow! Can you believe that the Jesus who raised the woman s son from the dead is the same Jesus who loves and cares for us!? Pray, Dear God, thank You for listening to all our prayers, whether they are big or small. Help us be compassionate to others, as You were to the woman. We love You! In Jesus name, amen. Dismiss to Small Groups We ve been talking about how compassionate Jesus is to people. As you go to your small groups, think about ways that you could show compassion When we get into our small groups, we will plan ways that each of us can be more compassionate this week. 82