SUNDAY MORNINGS September 17, 2017, Week 2 Grade: Kinder

Sour Grapes Bible: Sour Grapes (Parable of the Vineyard Workers) Matthew 20:1-16 Bottom Line: I choose to care about others celebrating God s generosity. Memory Verse: So let us do all we can to live in peace. And let us work hard to build up one another. Romans 14:19, NIV Life App: Peace choosing to care more about each other than being right. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. 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. All Service Times A Treat for You, and You, and You What You Need: Treats What You Do: Gather the children around you. Pass out treats to every child, in varying amounts. What You Say: Today I have a treat for you. (Begin passing out the treats, commenting as you go.) "There's one for you, two for you, one for you. Here are three for you, and one for you." (Continue until all of the children have been given one or more treats.) Did you notice that I gave some children one treat, others received two, and some even got three treats? I imagine that some of you were thinking to yourself, "That isn't fair! He gave some children three treats and I only got one!" Well, maybe it wasn't fair, but they were my treats -- don't I have the right to give them to whomever I please? Let s head to Large Group to hear how Jesus might respond to this kind of situation. Lead your group to the Large Group area. 2

Sour Grapes Bible: Sour Grapes (Parable of the Vineyard Workers) Matthew 20:1-16 Bottom Line: I choose to care about others by celebrating God s generosity. Memory Verse: So let us do all we can to live in peace. And let us work hard to build up one another. Romans 14:19, NIV Life App: Peace choosing to care more about each other than being right. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Bible: Communicating God s Truth in Engaging Ways (Large Group, 35 minutes) Engage kids hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible Truth, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting. CG: Welcome Theme Slide Host enters dressed as the Peacanator. HOST: Hello, boys and girls. It is I the Peaceanator! Everywhere I go, I seek to abolish arguments, fights, squabbles, tiffs, spats, and yes, even bickering! Yes, I am the champion of peace, which is say it with me, kids! CG: Peace Slide HOST and KIDS: Choosing to care more about others than being right. HOST: But keeping the peace can be a messy business! There are enemies of peace! One of the worst enemies of peace is jealousy! You know, like when you think that the other kid got a bigger piece of the pie or when you can t stop thinking about how you deserve to have the newest hover board or game more than that other person. Jealousy. The Green-eyed monster. The enemy of peace with others and peace of mind. Can you learn to Choose to care about others by celebrating God s generosity? We will see. In the meantime, up on your feet and welcome the Power Praise team! Power Praise team enters as Host exits. Worship POWER PRAISE: Alright, stand up on your feet, everybody. We re gonna get a little loud and crazy in here as we sing. Do we have anybody here who is committed to walking in the light of Jesus every day? (Get a reaction.) If we are going to walk in peace, then that means we re going to need God s help. So, let s get to walking. Sing this with us. SFX: I m Gonna Walk 4

POWER PRAISE: Yeah! That was fun. Keep that energy and worship going on up to the Lord. He is so, so worthy of all of it and so much more. Here we go. SFX: Brighter Yes! This last song is a time for us to slow down and pray or just think about how close we want to be to God because we believe that He is all that He says that He is. He is such a loving, graceious god. He loves you and me and He wants to be with us always. SFX: We Believe Great job everyone! Have a wonderful week and we will be back next week. Historyteller enters as Power Praise exits. SETTING UP THE BIBLE TRUTH HISTORYTELLER: I have a really interesting story to share with you guys this morning. It s a story that Jesus told and we can find it in the Bible in the book of Matthew. Most people know them as parables. Jesus told this story, or parable, to teach His followers something He thought was super important. He often used stories like this to make it easier for others to understand. Let s see how Jesus started out this story. THE FIRST WORKERS HISTORYTELLER: (Open your Bible and read Matthew 20:1-2.) The kingdom of heaven is like a man who owned land. He went out early in the morning to hire people to work in his vineyard. He agreed to give them the usual pay for a day s work. Then he sent them into his vineyard. (NIrV) You know, that land owner was pretty smart hiring workers to help him with his crops. As you can see (point to the stacks of papers that need to be cut out), I ve got a lot of work to do here, too. It looks like I need a couple of volunteers up here. (Choose your volunteers and bring them on stage.) You guys see all of these papers? Well, we need to cut out the figure from each one of those sheets of paper. (Quickly demonstrate.) I need you to get started while I talk. Don t worry, though I will pay you for your time. And you re going to LOVE what I pay you with. (To the audience) Let s watch these guys work for a little while. What do you say? SFX: Jeopardy! music (one minute) SFX: Fade music Historyteller walks around the stage, clipboard in hand, surveying the two workers and occasionally throwing out encouragement. Do this for a full minute to emphasize the fact that they are going to work longer than anyone else. Also mention several times how much they re going to love what they re going to get paid for working the whole time. 5

MORE WORKERS HISTORYTELLER: You guys really are doing great. Let s keep reading and see what came next in Jesus story. (Open your Bible and read Matthew 20:3-5a.) About nine o clock in the morning he went out again. He saw others standing in the market place doing nothing. He told them, You also go and work in my vineyard. I ll pay you what is right. So they went. (NIrV) Wow. More workers, huh? Not a bad idea. Can I get a couple more volunteers up here? (Bring the volunteers on stage and have them stand around the sheets of paper and start cutting too.) SFX: Jeopardy! music (30 seconds) SFX: Fade music Walk around the stage again, clipboard in hand, surveying the workers and occasionally throwing out encouragement. Do this for 30 seconds. From here on out, until the very end, don t mention how much anyone will get paid. You guys are doing a great job. While you keep cutting, I m going to keep reading Jesus story. (Open your Bible and read Matthew 20:5b.) He went out again about noon and at three o clock and did the same thing. (NIrV) Again, huh? Hey, the more, the merrier. Okay, two more volunteers, please. (Bring the volunteers on stage and have them start cutting with the group.) SFX: Jeopardy! music (15 seconds) SFX: Fade music Walk around the stage again, clipboard in hand, surveying the workers and occasionally throwing out encouragement. Only do this for about 15 seconds this time. You guys are making some serious headway on my work. That s great! You guys keep working and I ll see what Jesus said the landowner did next. (Open your Bible and read Matthew 20:6-7.) About five o clock he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing? Because no one has hired us, they answered. He said to them, You also go and work in my vineyard. (NIrV) Crazy! Even MORE workers. Well, that s good news for me more work will get done! Okay, two more volunteers, please. (Bring your volunteers on stage and have them start cutting.) SFX: Jeopardy! music (five seconds) Walk around the stage again, clipboard in hand, surveying the workers and occasionally throwing out encouragement. Only do this for about five seconds this time. 6

SFX: Fade music SFX: Buzzer PAY DAY HISTORYTELLER: Ah, that buzzer means quittin time! Great job, everybody! You did so much work for me especially those of you who have been up here this whole time. Your hands must HURT, huh? Luckily for you, it s not just quittin time; it s also PAYIN time! That s right. Step right up and get your pay. Let s start with the last ones I brought up here. You guys line up and hold out your hands! Make sure the group lines up, shoulder to shoulder, in the order you brought them on stage. Starting with the last ones you brought up to help, count out five lollipops. Make a big deal of counting out the same amount out loud for each kid as you go down the line. When you get to the last two (who you brought up on stage first), make a big deal about how long they worked and how you appreciate all that they did before you pay them. Then pay them the same amount as everyone. Depending upon their reaction, adjust the next part of what you say. It looks like you guys that I hired the earliest were a bit surprised that I didn t pay you any more than the guys who just got up on stage to help at the end. Maybe you were even a little mad at me? I can t say that I blame you. You guys DID work a lot more than these other guys. Tell you what, let me finish reading the rest of Jesus story and let s see if that helps us all understand a bit more about what just happened. (Open your Bible and read Matthew 20:8-11.) When evening came, the owner of the vineyard spoke to the person who was in charge of the workers. He said, Call the workers and give them their pay. Begin with the last ones I hired. Then go on to the first ones. The workers who were hired about five o clock came. Each received the usual day s pay. So when those who were hired first came, they expected to receive more. But each of them also received the usual day s pay. When they received it, they began to complain about the owner. These people who were hired last worked only one hour, they said. You have paid them the same as us. We have done most of the work and have been in the hot sun all day. (NIrV) (Addressing the two who were first.) So if you guys felt a bit jealous just now, you aren t alone. Jesus said that the workers who had worked ALL DAY LONG felt they should get paid more than the workers who were hired later in the day. And, yes, that does seem like it would make sense, doesn t it? Well, let s talk about this some more together. All of you can go back to your seats for now. (Allow volunteers to get back to their seats.) WRAPPING UP THE BIBLE TRUTH HISTORYTELLER: I don t think any of us could blame the workers for feeling the way they did, can we? We ve all felt that way before probably watching someone who didn t work as hard as we did get as much or even more than we received. It doesn t feel good. A lot of times it makes us jealous, which makes us angry. And that can make us behave in some not nice ways to others sometimes. So why did Jesus tell us this story? What was His point? Let s read one more thing from the book of Matthew and I think it will make sense. 7

(Open your Bible and read Matthew 20:13-15.) The owner answered one of them. Friend, he said, I m being fair to you. Didn t you agree to work for the usual day s pay? Take your money and go. I want to give the ones I hired last the same pay I gave you. Don t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Do you feel cheated because I gave so freely to the others? (NIrV) Wow. Jesus certainly had a point to make with this story. It s basically like He was telling them: CG: Bottom Line Slide [Impress] Take time to celebrate God s generosity. In other words, Um, workers who were picked first, your attitude needs some adjusting. Don t be jealous, CELEBRATE God generosity. God knows what's best, so let HIM handle it. After all, if I really believe that I can trust God no matter what, then I need to trust Him even when things don t seem fair and I get jealous. We can get so caught up in our jealousy that can be unkind to others even those that care for us the most, like our parents and family. Look at it this way everyone up here worked together to get the job done. [First two kids names] could have had to do the whole job by themselves and still only gotten 5 lolipops. Instead they had more help, didn t have to work as hard as if they had to do it all by themselves, and they still got paid the same. That is something to celebrate. Remember [Impress] Choose to care about others by celebrating God s generosity. That is most certainly NOT easy, so let s pray and ask God to help us with it. Pray HISTORYTELLER: Heavenly Father, we thank You that You DO know what is best, and that You ve got it all under control. Help us to ignore our jealous thoughts, and instead focus on your generosity with all of your children. We need Your help to adjust our attitudes sometimes, so please give us the strength and wisdom we need to stop complaining and instead, celebrate your generous heart. And thank You that you didn t give us what we deserve, but instead, You gave us Jesus and the gift of eternal life. If nothing else good happens, we should be focused on that alone. We love You, God, and we ask these things in Jesus name, amen. If you have an offering, raise your hand and we will bring the bucket over to you. Historyteller exits as Host enters. Closer HOST: Uh, wow! So, Jesus was saying that if he were one of the first workers, he would rather be focused on celebrating the way that God knows what is best for each of us, instead of what others got and what he thought he deserved. That is a tough thing to do sometimes. But if you are the strong, amazing Peaceanators I think you are, you can risk it all even your cravings for lolipops for peace with others and for peace in your heart and mind. I know that s what Jesus would do. So, what can you do when you are faced with jealousy? Say it with me. CG: Bottom Line Slide 8

HOST and KIDS: [Impress] I can choose to care about others by celebrating God s generosity. HOST: That s right. Now, go out there, take a risk, get messy and be a superhero for peace! See you next week. CG: Small Group Slide Dismiss children to their Small Groups. 9

Sour Grapes Bible: Sour Grapes (Parable of the Vineyard Workers) Matthew 20:1-16 Bottom Line: I choose to care about others by celebrating God s generosity. Memory Verse: So let us do all we can to live in peace. And let us work hard to build up one another. Romans 14:19, NIV Life App: Peace choosing to care more about each other than being right. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (15 minutes) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible Truth applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 9:00 & 11:30 A Bountiful Harvest (memory verse activity / great for active learners / optional large group activity) What You Need: Bibles, prepared balloons taped to your focal wall like a grape cluster What You Do: Guide the kids to get into teams of three to five and line up opposite the balloon clusters. At your signal, the first child on each team will run to the grapes, harvest one from the wall, place it between his knees, hop back to his team, and tag the next child in line. When a team has every balloon, guide the kids to put the verse in order. Read the verse aloud together. What You Say: God loves us and knows what s best for us, so no matter what happens or how jealous we may be even something that seems unfair we can take time to celebrate God s generosity and be thankful. So this week, [Apply] if you find yourself getting jealous and angry because it seems that someone else is getting more or getting away with more than you are, [Impress] choose to care more about others by celebrating God s generosity. Take time to remember that God loves you and that He wants what is best for you. Let God handle what is fair and unfair. Do YOUR part and [Impress] take time to adjust your attitude and celebrate God s generosity. When you do, you ll show others who God is and what He is like! You ll also show God that you love Him and trust Him. So remember: [Impress] Choose to care about others by celebrating God s generosity and be grateful. 10:15 Grapes What You Need: Grapes Activity Page, cardboard tubes, purple paint, disposable plates, baby wipes, crayons, and completed sample craft. What You Do: Divide the kids into two groups and set two tables close to each other Group one: o Pour some purple paint onto a plate (enough to cover the bottom of the plate. 10

o Demonstrate dipping the circle end of the tube into the paint and then onto the paper to create a grape cluster. o Pass out the cardboard tubes and Grape Activity Pages. Group2 o Pass out crayons and activity pages o Allow kids to color the pages What You Say: I love all of your artwork! Those grapes should remind us of the men that were working in the vineyard from Jesus parable. Did you have a good time making those? (Pause for what might be some grumbling and complaining. Adjust the following as needed.) Woah, you guys don t sound very happy with the way this went. Some of you sound like you might be a little jealous that you didn t get to use the paints. You even sound a little angry. Does that remind you of something form today s Bible Truth? God is generous, always, whether we get to use paints or crayons or sticks in the dirt. God is generous, we just have to remember to adjust the way that we see things. You guys didn t sound very peaceful just now and I would rather none of us have any activities ever again than have you guys get upset because someone got something different that you did. But I don t make that choice. What I can do is remind you that God would rather we choose to make peace with others by celebrating His generosity than to become jealous over what we think is not fair. So, please remember I can choose to care about others by celebrating God s generosity. All Service Times Pray and Dismiss (5 minutes) [Pray to God Prayer Activity] Made to Reflect: an activity that creates space for personal understanding and application What You Need: No supplies needed What You Do: What You Say: In the parable Jesus told, the vineyard workers who worked all day focused more on what they thought was fair and being jealous than on what they had to be thankful for. And because they forgot to be thankful, they were miserable. God doesn t want us to be miserable. He wants us to be thankful; because when we re thankful, we can be joyful and content. So this week, don t be like the vineyard workers who chose to be jealous and miserable because they thought that their pay wasn t fair. Instead, [Apply] take time to remember that God loves you and that He wants what is best for you. Do YOUR part and [Impress] choose to care about others by celebrating God s generosity and be thankful. When you do, you ll show others who God is and what He is like! You ll also show God that you love Him and trust Him. So, remember: [Impress] choose to care about others by celebrating God s generosity and be thankful. Let s pray. (Lead the kids to silently repeat each sentence of the prayer after you.) 11

Dear God, You are good. You are kind. You are faithful. And You know what is best. Please help me pause when I start to feel jealous and choose to care about others by celebrating your generosity. Help us to be thankful. You love me, Lord, and I can trust You no matter what. Thank You, Lord. I love You SO much. Amen. Parent Cue 12