FORT February 3, 2018, Week 1 Grade: PDF Free Download

Gotta Serve Somebody Bible: Gotta Serve Somebody (Jesus Washes the Disciples Feet) John 13:1-17 Bottom Line: Serve others because of what Jesus did for us. Memory Verse: Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all Mark 9:35, NIV Life App: Service Lending a hand to help someone else Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated. Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction (Small Groups, 15 minutes) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today s Bible Truth. Before kids arrive, take a few moments to pray for them. Ask God to help kids understand that we serve others because of what Jesus did for us. Pray that God will show them that to be first, you must be last. Ask God to give you insight on how to show them what this can look like in their lives. 9:00 & 11:30 C-H-O-R-E-S What You Need: Wastepaper basket, wads of scrap paper or tissue paper What You Do: Set the wastepaper basket in the middle of the room. Invite one kid to stand anywhere he likes and throw a paper into the basket. (Choose a child who is likely to get it in!) Then let all the other kids have a chance to stand where that child did and throw papers into the basket. If kids get it in, great! If not, each missed shot earns kids a letter: C, H, O, R, E, S After the first round, ask another kid to demonstrate a shot. They can stand anywhere in the room and throw the paper however they want. Once they get it in, all the other kids must try for the same shot. If anyone misses six shots and gets all the letters of CHORES, they have to sit on the sidelines until the game is finished. At the end of the game, everyone cooperates to clean up the remaining papers on the floor. What You Say: What did the letters in our game spell? That s right: CHORES! We don t always like to clean, scrub, wash, put away, vacuum, sweep, wipe, or fold. [Transition] In Large Group we re going to hear about how to put all of those chores under one word that might change everything. Lead your group to the Large Group area. 2

10:15 Early Arriver Idea What You Need: No supplies needed What You Do: Welcome children. Ask them about their week: o Was there anything you needed help doing? o Who helped you? o Did you help someone else this week? How? What You Say: In Large Group we re going to hear about how to put all of those chores under one word that might change everything. Lead your group to the Large Group area. 3

Gotta Serve Somebody Bible: Communicating God s Truth in Engaging Ways (Large Group, 25 minutes) GETTING READY 1. Opener/Closer What You Need: Host 1950s-style waiter or waitress costume for Host (a striped apron and a paper diner hat) Tray with some kind of diner food (prop waffles, milkshake, pie, etc.) One whole small group Small wading pool Dish soap 30-40 plastic plates (can be disposable) Ketchup Mustard Ten sponges or dish wands Ten dishtowels Tarp 2. Bible Truth What You Need: Historyteller Bible Table Prop box containing: o Clean rag o Clean towel o Two bowls: one with dirty water, and one empty o Pitcher of clean, soapy water o Three plates or containers with: Crushed graham cracker crumbs Chocolate pudding Coffee grounds 3. Worship What You Need: Generation for You Every Beat One Heartbeat 4

Gotta Serve Somebody Bible: Gotta Serve Somebody (Jesus Washes the Disciples Feet) John 13:1-17 Bottom Line: Serve others because of what Jesus did for us. Memory Verse: Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all Mark 9:35, NIV Life App: Service Lending a hand to help someone else Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated. Bible: Communicating God s Truth in Engaging Ways (Large Group, 25 minutes) Engage kids hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible Truth, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting. CG : Theme Loop Video CG: Countdown Video CG: Theme Video Host enters, dressed as a waiter/waitress from a 1950sstyle diner and carrying a tray with diner food on it. Opener HOST: What s up, everybody? Welcome to the The Fort Diner. My name is [your name], and I ll be serving you today. I m so glad you came! This month we re talking about service. CG: Life App Video Service is lending a hand to help someone else. CG: Theme TransBack Video Speaking of service, have you ever been to a restaurant before? (Pause for response.) Sure! A lot of you have. A restaurant serves a lot of delicious food, which means a lot of dirty dishes. Move over to the pool full of dirty dishes. Hold up a plate covered in ketchup and mustard. (This one can be sitting out instead of submerged in the pool.) Place the plate in the pool with the others. Did you ever think about how all those dishes get washed? Well, that s what our game is about today. I need one whole small group to come up here and help me wash and dry the dishes in this pool. Who wants to do it? Choose a group. 5

Okay, great! You all can come on up here, and bring your Small Group Leader, too. Have the group stand on the opposite side of the stage from the pool while you explain the directions. (To the small group) Contestants, you ll have one minute to wash and dry as many dishes as you can. That means some of you will be around the pool, scrubbing the food off the plates. Hand a sponge to about half the kids. When they re done, the rest of you will take the plates and dry them off. Then you can stack the clean and dry plates right here. Hand towels to the other half of the kids. Point to a spot in front of the pool. (To the small group) Contestants, are you ready? (To audience) Audience, are you ready to cheer them on? Okay, let s count it down in three... two... one... go! SFX: Fun diner-style music (instrumental) Set a one-minute timer on your phone. Encourage the kids as they wash and dry the dishes. Help them if they aren t sure what to do. That was awesome! I ve never seen anything like it. Your group washed and dried [number] dirty dishes in only ONE minute! Great job! High-five the kids and dismiss them to their seats. [Leader s name] s group did a great job serving me and serving each other when they washed and dried all those dishes. It reminds me of something Jesus did for some of His friends that was really amazing. I can t wait for you to hear about it. Look at the stack of dry dishes. I think I ll serve someone else by putting these dishes away. While I do that, please put your hands together for [Historyteller s Name]. Host exits. Historyteller enters. Historyteller sets up the road on the stage, leading toward the cushion, the bucket of water, and the towels. 6

SETTING UP THE BIBLE TRUTH HISTORYTELLER: Here at Parkway, we talk a lot about how Jesus came to be our Savior and that He died on the cross for our sins. Just before that happened, Jesus did something amazing to show His friends what it really looks like to serve. This event took place just before the Passover feast, which was the big meal that Jewish people ate to remember how God had rescued them from slavery in Egypt. Jesus knew the time was drawing near when He would leave this world, so this was going to be an especially important meal to share with His closest friends. Jesus had sent Peter and John ahead, and He told them to meet a man carrying a jar of water. That man would lead them to a house where there was an open guest room for the Passover meal. Peter and John did as Jesus asked, and they prepared the meal for everyone. DIRTY FEET HISTORYTELLER: The rest of the disciples were traveling to meet the others there at the house. As the men traveled, they were likely wearing shoes that looked like the sandals some of us wear today. That meant that their feet got dirty quite dirty. Move behind the table and hold up the (currently) clean rag. They would have come across all sorts of dirty and gross things as they walked, like puddles of water and other... uh... liquid. There was dust. And mud and... let s just say other brown things. And, of course, there was lots of dirt. Dip the rag in the dirty water and squeeze out the excess. Roll the rag in the crushed-up graham crackers. Roll the rag in the chocolate pudding. Roll the rag in the coffee grounds. By the time they arrived at the house, their feet would have looked like they did anytime after a long walk disgusting! Hold up the dirty rag. To eat a meal together, the disciples wouldn t have sat in chairs at a table like we do today. Instead, they would have sat on cushions at a long, low table, or they would lie on the floor. That meant their nasty, dirty feet might have been in each other s FACES while they were trying to eat, so it was important to wash their feet before the meal. 7

JESUS WASHES THEIR FEET HISTORYTELLER: Normally, it was a servant s job to wash people s feet, but there wasn t a servant around at the time. Maybe the disciples even had a little argument about whose job it was to wash their feet since there wasn t a servant there. They might have said, (wag your finger) Not my job! or Not it! No one would have wanted to do that job, because not only was it gross, but it also was a job for the least important person in the room. But Jesus stood up and took off His outer clothes. He wrapped a towel around His waist and poured water into a large bowl. Then He washed His disciples feet, one by one. Use the pitcher to pour the clean, soapy water into the empty bowl. Dip the dirty rag in the water over and over again, squeezing out the dirt, and rinsing it again. He cleaned off all the dust and dirt and mud and other things they would have stepped in as they walked to the meal that evening. Jesus washed each disciple s feet and dried them with the towel. Put the rag in the bowl and use the towel to dry off your hands. PETER AND JESUS TALK HISTORYTELLER: When Jesus got to Peter, at first Peter refused to let Jesus wash his feet. Hold both hands out, palms to the audience, as though refusing to do something. Then open the Bible to John 13:7-8 (NIrV) and read. Jesus told Peter: You don t realize now what I am doing. But later you will understand. Then He said: Unless I wash you, you can t share life with me. That certainly changed Peter s mind, and he allowed Jesus to wash his feet. In fact, he wanted Jesus to wash his hands and head too! Read John 13:10 (NIrV). But Jesus said: People who have had a bath need to wash only their feet. The rest of their body is clean. And you are clean. Come back around in front of the table. Jesus put on His clothes and returned to His place at the table. Listen to what He said to the disciples next. Read John 13:12-15 (NIrV). 8

Do you understand what I have done for you? he asked them. You call me Teacher and Lord. You are right. That is what I am. I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet. So you also should wash one another s feet. I have given you an example. You should do as I have done for you. WRAPPING UP THE BIBLE TRUTH most important. It s about helping others and putting them first. It s doing something FOR someone, even if it might be uncomfortable or seem a little gross. Jesus is the MOST important, but He chose to serve. You and I can follow His example. We can choose to serve. CG: Bottom Line Slide [Bottom Line] Serve others because of what Jesus did for us. Serving doesn't necessarily mean washing someone's stinky feet like Jesus did. But it does mean lending a hand to help someone else not thinking you're too important or that someone else will do it. It means [Basic Truth] treating others the way you want to be treated. Let s ask God to help us [Bottom Line] serve others because of what Jesus did for us. Pray HISTORYTELLER: Dear God, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Jesus to die on a cross for our sins. We can see how Jesus used His whole life to serve others. Help us not to think that we re too important to help someone else. Instead, help us to follow the example Jesus gave when He served His friends. Help us to [Bottom Line] serve others because of what Jesus did for us. We love You, and we ask these things in Jesus name, amen. If you have an offering with you today, raise your hand and we will bring the bucket over to you. Worship CG: Generation for You CG: Every Beat CG: One Heartbeat Closer HOST: When Jesus washed the disciples feet, He showed them what service looks like. Jesus is the Son of God, so He was definitely the most important person in the room. But Jesus chose to serve everyone else instead of trying to prove He was more important. We should serve others like He did. What He did is a great picture of what our memory verse means. CG: Memory Verse Slide It says: Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all Mark 9:35, NIV 9

Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sin so that we could have a relationship with God that will last forever. When we choose to serve others, it s one way we can show how thankful we are for everything Jesus did. CG: Bottom Line Slide [Bottom Line] Serve others because of what Jesus did for us. Now, that doesn t mean that we should necessarily go around washing each other s feet. That isn t something we really need to do in 2019. But we do have lots of chances to serve each other to lend a hand to help someone else. Every day, you can choose to [Basic Truth] treat others the way you want to be treated. So, the next time your mom asks for help setting the table for dinner or your little brother asks you to help him find his favorite toy, remember what Jesus did for us. Choose to show love by serving others. [Bottom Line] Serve others because of what Jesus did for us. We re going to help you serve some neighbors. This whole month we will be collecting food for Katy Christian Ministries. Katy Christian Ministries is in need of donations after the holidays, and we want to help restock their shelves so parents can provide their children with the food they need. You and your family can help by bringing in one of the following items: Canned green vegetables, Canned fruit, Peanut butter, and Dried beans (1lb or less). You can drop off your donations, here in class. All of the items will be delivered to Katy Christian Ministries at the end of the month. We ll send you all home with a flyer that will help you tell your parents and family, and even friends. Wouldn t it be cool if we could get our neighbors in on the serving too?! Why don t you head to Small Group and talk about today s Bible Truth and other ideas you have on servingt? CG: Small Group Slide CG: 252 Story (If needed) Dismiss children to their Small Groups. 10

10:15 The First Shall be Last What You Need: Paper plates, music to play from presentation computer What You Do: Read this month s memory verse aloud together several times. Make a line of paper plates. Place them approximately one foot apart from each other. Encourage kids to find a plate and stand on it. Stand in front of the kid at one end of the line and discuss how this appears to be the front of the line. Then walk to the other end of the line and ask kids to face you. Explain that now THIS appears to be the front of the line. It depends on which way you are facing and where the leader is standing to determine which seat is last and which is first. Explain that you will be playing a game that is similar to musical chairs. You will play music on your phone. When you press pause and they hear the music stop, they will race to sit down on a paper plate. Tell kids that the goal is to sit in the last plate, but that it is important to find any seat so they don t get out of the game. The trick is, you will be switching which end is first and last every round that you play so they must guess which end you will choose! With every round, take away a seat so it gets more challenging and so they will be forced to decide if they want to take the chance of being last or if they just want to find a plate so they can stay in the game! What You Say: In our memory verse, Jesus told His disciples that the person who doesn t mind being last and puts others before themselves is the real winner. I don t know about you, but I would rather be a winner in His eyes than win some silly game! Let s remember to put our friends first this week and [Bottom Line] serve others because of what Jesus did for us. All Service Times Pray and Dismiss (10 minutes) What You Need: No supplies needed What You Do: Ask kids to close their eyes and think of something Jesus has done for them that they are really thankful for. Together as a group, pray and thank Jesus for what He has done, and ask for help to live a life of service like Him. What You Say: Jesus, we are so thankful for all You have done for us. There are so many wonderful things You ve done, we wouldn t ever be able to keep count. May the many ways You ve served and loved others inspire us to do the same. Let us be reminded this week to [Bottom Line] serve others because of what Jesus did for us. We love You. We pray this in Your name, amen. As adults arrive to pick up, have each kid take off their diner hat and hold it up high. Prompt each kid to share how they are going to serve someone this week and remind them that they can [Bottom Line] serve others because of what Jesus did for us. 12

FORT February 3, 2018, Week 1 Grade: 1-2