May 6, 2018 DATE Luke 12:13 31 Rich Fool THE BIG GOD STORY Jesus Is Freedom PONDER POINT Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. REMEMBER VERSE John 17:3 Welcome and Worship (15 minutes) Begins class creating an inviting atmosphere for kids to feel welcome and engage kids in worship through singing and communion. The Big God Story (18 minutes) Creates space for children to hear God s word and prepare respond to the Holy Spirit in small groups Small Groups (20 minutes) Kids will build relationships with each other and their leaders, and respond to what they learned in the Big God Story as well as how to apply it to their lives Bless & Dismiss (4 minutes) Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others. The large group room will be divided into three sections. Please help kids find which section they should sit in according to their grade: 1st- 2nd, 3rd-4th & 5th-6th. Toward the end of small group time, A/V Tech will play the 2 minute warning sound followed by a song. During or immediately following the song please regroup in the large group meeting space (not before). 5th & 6th graders can go directly to Snack Shack after small group time, rather than regrouping in the large group space. Host Administrative To Do s: Make sure no group is too large Make sure each group has enough supplies Close curtains and divider wall for small groups at 9:00 and 10:15 (and re-open after 9:00) Cue the tech when to play the 2 minute warning with song. Call names for dismissal after blessing SCHEDULE Large Group Small Group 2 Min Warn. Regroup/ Dismiss 5th-6th 1st Service (9:00) 9:00 9:33 9:53 10:00 2nd Service (10:15) 10:15 10:48 11:08 11:15 3rd Service (11:30) 11:30 12:03 12:23 12:30 1
GOAL: Worship & welcome is all about engaging kids and helping them enter into worship, letting them know that class has begun preparing their minds for what they are going to hear. WELCOME (Host): Stage Lights On VIDEO LOOPS: Welcome Loop, 5 Min Countdown, Welcome Image We are so glad you are here today. Welcome the kids in your own words then say the following to the kids: Let s all stand and hear God s word and sing our praise to Him OPENING WORSHIP SONG (Worship Leader): Turn out main overhead lights REMEMBER VERSE VIDEO WORSHIP VIDEO 1: Better Than The Best Thing WORSHIP VIDEO 2: You Are (Direct kids to get with their groups and circle up with their small group leader before sitting down) SMALL GROUP CONNECT IMAGE CONNECT QUESTIONS (Host): 4 MINUTE COUNTDOWN VIDEO Would you rather live like a dog or live like a cat? Where is your favorite place to go exploring? Would you rather discover a tree that grows money or discover a plant that could cure every disease? Would you rather have the power to fly or the power to read minds? TIMELINE VIDEO (Storyteller) The Big God Story: Point out that what kids are about to hear is true and is recorded in the Bible. Open your Bible to the passage and leave it open and visible throughout The Big God Story. Invite kids to open their Bibles and follow along as you storytell. Children respond to what the Holy Spirit is teaching them as they reflect on the day s portion of The Big God Story. The Prayer of Release: This allows children and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet their hearts and minds. Before you pray, you might ask the kids to hold out their hands, palms up, in a spirit of releasing their worries and distractions in order to better receive what the Holy Spirit might have for them today. Then encourage the kids to quiet their voices, take a seat, and pray with you. 2
The Big God Story: Video: Rich Fool Parable (39 seconds) Backpack Stones (10, large)- each stone has one of the words sin, money, homes, clothes or food written on it. Storyteller Script Set the pile of stones at the front of your teaching space. Enter wearing empty backpack. I love hiking! Who else likes to hike? Invite kids to raise hands. I love being out in God s beautiful creation looking at all the birds and the flowers. Whenever I go hiking, I always bring my map and my compass so I never get lost. This reminds me of another kind of lost. We can be lost spiritually because of sin. What does it mean to be lost because of sin? Invite responses. Yes, when a person is lost because of sin, he is separated from God. But Jesus came to set us free from sin and make the way for us to be with God forever. He came to set us free from worry. Jesus is freedom! Let s pray together and ask God to help us hear Him today. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. God created us to live in perfect relationship with Him. But something broke that relationship: our sin. Take off backpack and place on floor in front of you. Hold up stone labeled Sin and put in backpack. Because our sin separates us from God, each one of us tries to make things better on our own. Sometimes, because of sin, we may think things like toys or special trips or certain friends can fix what s wrong. But only Jesus can fix our relationship with God. He s the only One who can free us from sin, because He is freedom. Still, sometimes, even when we re free from sin, we still try to hold on to it or carry it! Lift up backpack as if it s very heavy and then place on floor again. This makes me think of another part of The Big God Story, when Jesus was traveling with His disciples and met a man who was worried about money. Let s read about this together. Invite kids to turn to Luke 12:13 and follow along as you read. 13 Someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus. Teacher, he said, tell my brother to divide the family property with me. An inheritance is usually money or property given to children by their parents. What do you think Jesus did? Invite responses. Jesus told the man a story about a man who was always worried about all of the possessions all of the stuff he owned. Tech: Cue Rich Fool Parable video. (39 seconds) It s easy for us to think that the more money we have, the happier we will be. Have volunteer place Money stone in backpack. Why do you think that is? Invite kids to share thoughts. What does money give us? Invite answers. Good thoughts. Money allows us to buy things. It helps us pay for our homes, food, cars, and lots of other things. Money can make us feel safe. But does money really make us safe? Invite responses. Who is the only One who makes us safe? Pause for answers. Exactly God! You see, when we believe that money can take care of us and keep us 3
safe, we re believing a lie. And, sadly, we can put our confidence in money instead of God. When this happens, we re trusting in money so much that it can become more important to us than God. Read vv. 20 21 as everyone follows along. 20 But God said to him, You foolish man! Tonight I will take your life away from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? 21 That is how it will be for whoever stores things away for themselves but is not rich in the sight of God. Pretend to struggle unsuccessfully to lift backpack off floor and give up. The story wasn t just for the brothers. Let s read what happened next. Read v. 22. 22 Then Jesus spoke to his disciples. He said, I tell you, do not worry. Don t worry about your life and what you will eat. And don t worry about your body and what you will wear Did the disciples have a lot of money to worry about like the rich man or the two brothers? Invite answers. No, they didn t. They had given away everything to follow Jesus everything! That included homes (invite volunteer to put Homes stone in backpack), clothes (invite volunteer to put Clothes stone in backpack), and kitchens full of food (invite volunteer to put Food stone in backpack). But Jesus didn t want His disciples to worry about these things about where they would sleep or what they would wear or eat because He is freedom. What are some things you worry about? Write answers on stones and have volunteers put in backpack. Jesus offers us freedom from our worries. By being in relationship with Jesus, people can be free from worry! But they still keep trying to carry around their worries. Put on backpack and struggle to walk as though it s very, very heavy. Ask one or two child volunteers to try to carry the backpack. Then read vv. 24, 27. 24 Think about the ravens. They don t plant or gather crops. They don t have any barns at all. But God feeds them. You are worth much more than birds! 27 Think about how the wild flowers grow. They don t work or make clothing. But here is what I tell you. Not even Solomon in his royal robes was dressed like one of those flowers. God takes care of what the animals and flowers need, so don t you think He will take care of His children even more? Of course! You see, God is both our Redeemer and our Father. He sets us free, and, like a good Father, He gives His children what they need. When we believe in Jesus, we receive salvation, and we re freed from sin and don t have to carry it anymore. Look to the heavens, kneel down, and take off backpack. Stand up and walk away, enjoying the freedom of not carrying the heavy weight. We can choose to trust that God knows what we need. What we need most is freedom from sin not more money, more friends, more popularity, or more of anything we think will make us happy. What we need most is more of Jesus! He knows what we need. He is freedom, and He sets us free and invites us to be part of The Big God Story. As His people, we can choose His freedom instead of our sin and worry, and we can begin to live as people of God who worship Him for His love and care. Share a personal story of a time when God gave you freedom from your sin and worry. Tell the kids we are going to close the Big God Story by worshipping him. Ask the kids to wait until they are asked to come forward to take communion. WORSHIP VIDEO 3: Glory to God After a time of worshipping have kids come and take communion if they have been baptized, and bring their offering. 4
Fade out song slowly at Worship Leader s prompting. (As the song comes to a close Worship Leader tells groups to head to their small group space. Say something like, Let s continue responding to what God is teaching us as we dismiss to our small groups. Please follow your small group leader at this time. ) IMAGE: It s time for small groups Turn main overhead lights on Dismiss for small groups refer to map for small group locations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the end of small groups... Tech cue: 2 minute warning with exit song, using ceiling speakers, at the host s prompting Turn speakers back to wall speakers for blessing, closing song and dismissal. 5
GOAL: Kids build relationships with each other and their leader as they respond to what they heard in the Big God Story. Animals and Plants (1-2 grade) SUPPLIES Animal and Plant images Crayons ENGAGE Jesus told His disciples not to worry about what they would eat, drink, or wear. Instead, He asked them to think about the birds and the flowers. He meant that because God takes such good care of the birds and flowers, He will take care of His children even more! Invite the children to pick a favorite image and to color it while you discuss the following questions with them: How does this animal get food? How does this plant get food? Where does this animal go for shelter? How does it keep warm? What does this insect do to get food? After your discussion, remind the children that God gave these living things the ability to take care of themselves, and they do it without any worry. If God takes care of all living things by giving them the ability to live so well in their own skin, how much better will He take care of us, His children? Remind them that by having a relationship with Jesus, we can be free from our sin and worry and be free to worship Him. Optional: After you ve talked about the living things that God takes care of, allow the kids to act like each thing. Leaders, join the fun! Tossing Burdens (3-6 grade) SUPPLIES Trash Can Paper (5 sheets per child) Pens or pencils Place the trash can in middle of the room. Give each child a sheet of paper and ask her to write one of her worries a worry about anything in her life. After the kids have written down their worries ask them if they would like to share their worries with the group. If so, allow them to, Then, when she s ready, she can crumple up the paper and toss it into the trash can as a way to symbolize throwing away that burden. Let the kids continue to write worries on the papers and throw them into the trash can. To give kids more of a challenge, move the trash can farther and farther away with each throw. If time allows complete the discussion questions below. What was the rich man most concerned about? Luke 12:19 Because God takes care of the plants and animals, what do we know about how He ll take care of us? Luke 12:27 28 How can we choose freedom in Christ instead of worry or fear? Philippians 4:6 7 How does it make you feel to know God can set you free from worry? BLESSING Close your small group time reading a final scripture and blessing your kids using the Blessing Card from your supply bin in your cart. 6
GOAL: Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others. CLOSING REMARKS/ANNOUNCEMENTS (Host): Wall Speakers On TRANSITION ACTIVITIES (HOST): Play Regrouping Video Announce the expectations verbally as kids regroup in the large group room Have a seat on the floor Stay seated until your name is called or you see your parents Meet up with your parents and exit the middle door. Play Fun Video: What will Mike choose video (Kids have to guess what they think Mike the dog will choose of two different items). DISMISSAL (STORYTELLER): Call names of kids as parent come to pick up and welcome kids who are being dropped off. Encourage parents to enter the room and encourage kids and parents to exit out the middle door (103) 7
As a teenager, I believed that to be beautiful and attractive I must be thin. When I looked at magazines and television ads, I saw super-polished, super-skinny supermodels. When I looked in the mirror, I saw a girl with wide hips and fat thighs. Sometimes I cried myself to sleep because I felt so disgusted with myself. I turned my anger toward God. It s Your fault I m this way; You re the One who made me! Looking back, I see it all stemmed from an insidious lie: In order to be loved, I must be perfect. Healing began when I heard a sermon on God s grace. Paul s words penetrated my heart: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). The verse felt like a key releasing me from a jail cell. The process of being freed was a gradual one, with setbacks along the way. But as I began to exchange the lie that had enslaved me for God s truth, I began to see myself as God sees me: accepted and wholly loved. Today I testify that God has freed me from despair and self-hatred. Because of His redemption, I am armed with the truth that if I am a slave, it is to Christ alone. Asriel Medina ROCKHARBOR Church In Luke 12, a man questions Jesus about an inheritance. As He often does, Jesus sees through the question to the real issue simmering underneath the surface: worry. Jesus offers the man freedom freedom from worry, the freedom of a life of peace. This peace comes from faith. It comes from trust. It comes from the confidence that God is in control. When we truly trust God when we have faith we become free from worry. But definitions of faith can be elusive. We have the biblical definition of faith as confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). Protestant leaders of the Reformation unpacked this biblical definition with the following three components. (And, being Reformers, they used a lot of Latin.) The first component is notitia, which means knowledge. This is essentially knowledge of the facts. This is the starting place for faith the content that faith must have for it to be faith. Next, we have assensus, which means assent or agreement. This is acknowledging the facts to be true. Still, this isn t full-fledged faith. When James writes, The demons believe and also shudder (2:19), he clarifies that mere profession of faith without corresponding action is empty faith. Finally, we have fiducia, which means assurance, confidence, or trust. This is actually what the Bible refers to as trust. Another way of expressing it would be putting your weight in something. In essence, a person doesn t believe that the chair he s sitting in is actually a chair until he puts his weight in it. When we put our weight in God, fully trusting Him, we have true faith. Trust essentially means leaving the matter in the hands of God and if He is sovereign, truly in control, then there s no possible reason for us to be anxious. The price tag for peace is trust. Jesus offers us freedom from a life of worry and anxiousness, because He is freedom. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17 8
Someone once said the more things you own, the more your things own you. That seems appropriate to the rich fool in Luke 12. Worry is a difficult and stubborn master, but Jesus wants you to know that your life is more than the sum of the things you own, the degrees you hold, and the people you know. Spiritual disciplines are God s means of grace to us; they help us develop holy habits that let us live in the freedom He desires for us. The discipline of simplicity cultivates a freedom that leads to generosity two things lacking in the rich man in today s part of The Big God Story. Talk with God today about how to simplify your life so that you may experience more freedom. Is there material clutter in your home? What can you give away? What are you ready to release? How might God want you to share what you ve been given to bless others? 9