Start Small + Serve Big = Great! KEY VERSE Mark 10:43 STICKY STATEMENT Reach out and serve someone. LESSON OBJECTIVE Children will learn how Jesus directed James and John toward serving others and will choose to be a servant to others. could serve others inside or outside the church. As the lesson is completed, the children will be guided toward choosing a way to serve someone else before your next meeting. CHECKLIST 1. A PowerPoint in available for this lesson. 2. Rainbow Skittles (Younger Adaptation) 3. Small plate and bowl (Younger Adaptation) 4. Hot water (Younger Adaptation) 5. Visual 1. Cut apart to give to the class. (Body) LESSON OVERVIEW The class will look at the request James and John made to have places of authority in Jesus kingdom. Jesus pointed out that greatness was not the position they held but in the way they served others. The children will learn as they serve others they will become less selfish. The class will discuss ways someone their ages Younger Adaptation Teacher s Note: Watch the following video on the Kid Experiment with Skittles. https://teachersource.wol.org/videos/oly18/1 5-1/. You may want the children to stand around the table where you are doing this activity. For this demonstration you will need a round plate with a small round bowl and rainbow candy (like Skittles). Turning the bowl upside down on the plate will help you arrange the Skittles in a circle. You will need hot water to pour on the candy. Jesus showed His love for us by meeting the needs of people. For our demonstration today, I am using Skittles to represent people. Notice that we have all different colors of Skittles just like there are all different kinds of people. 15. Start Small + Serve Big = Great! (Module 4 Extreme Makeover) - 105
Teacher s Note: The Skittles should be touching and make a complete circle. For the best effect try to have a variety of colors mixed in the circle. [Pick up one Skittle.] Each of us like to think that we are important and great. However, if you only think of yourself, you become selfish. God does not want us to be selfish. To be great in God s Kingdom, you must learn to be a servant. In order to serve others, you will have to share yourself. You are part of a big world with lots of people who may never know God s love unless you are willing to reach out and serve someone. Let s see how that works with our Skittles. Teacher s Note: Carefully remove the bowl, and fix the circle of Skittles. Pour hot water carefully starting in the center of the plate. Make sure to pour slowly until the water reaches the Skittles. The water represents God s love that we share with others. As we show God s love through our service, we start reaching people that we never imagined we could. Now, look what s happening. Doesn t that look pretty great! When everyone does their share, just like our Skittles, we make something great and beautiful. So, what are some ways that you can share God s love by serving others? [Allow children to respond.] INTRODUCTION How many of you would like to be a boss when you grow up? Tell me what s so great about being the boss? Teacher s Note: Allow children to answer why they might want to be in charge. Possible answers: Being important; able to boss others; having everything they wanted; having no one to tell them what to do. Have you ever heard of a program on TV called Undercover Boss? Maybe some of you have seen it. Each week the program features a boss from a big company that has hundreds of employees. The boss disguises himself, then goes undercover and tries to do some of the jobs of his/her employees. The show has plenty of funny moments as the boss makes lots of mistakes trying to do jobs that he is totally unprepared to do. However, by the end of the show, the boss discovers that his greatest employees are those who really care more about serving others than they care about themselves. BODY Let s be honest, most of us would probably choose being a boss over being an employee or a servant. In fact, today we are going to hear about two brothers who wanted to be in charge right next to Jesus. Let me read exactly what they asked from Mark 10:35-37. [Read Mark 10:35-37.] Who were the brothers? [Answer: James and John.] What did they ask from Jesus? [Answer: If they could sit at His right and left hand when they go to glory or Heaven.] James and John wanted to be great like Jesus. Well, Jesus wasn t taking any applications for bosses. He explained to James and John that they didn t understand what they were asking for. Besides, that decision was not being made while Jesus was on earth. As He was talking to James and John, the other disciples were listening, but they weren t happy. Why were they so upset? It is very possible that they wanted the same thing that James and John wanted to be bosses, too! 15. Start Small + Serve Big = Great! (Module 4 Extreme Makeover) - 106
The disciples idea of being great or being the boss was way different than what Jesus taught or even how He lived. Let me read Jesus definition for being great. [Read Mark 10: 42-43.] Jesus says that the rulers on this earth were selfish and didn t treat others well. He told them that if the disciples expected to be great in God s Kingdom, they needed to reach out and serve someone. Because Jesus is truthful and loving in all He does, He told James, John, and the other disciples how greatness in His kingdom is shown. He said that those who want to be first, or great have to be willing to serve, to let others be first. Great people in God s kingdom are those who are willing to do whatever it takes to meet the needs of others. When you serve another person, you should not expect to get anything back. Serving helps us to be less selfish because we are thinking about ways to help the other person, not about ourselves. Instead of waiting for others to serve you, reach out and serve someone. Of course, Jesus is the best example of being great. While He lived on this earth, Jesus didn t just teach us about serving, He was serving people. When people were sad, He comforted them. Jesus helped the poor. He healed the sick and fed those who were hungry. Of course, Jesus met all of our needs by dying on the cross for your sin and mine. Teacher s Note: You can choose to do the Younger Adaptation and continue teaching at the Application, or you can do the following activity. Print the handout and cut apart the slips with names to whom they can minister. Depending on the size of your group, you can give each child a slip or have them work in pairs or groups to decide how they would serve that person. So, how can you be great by following the example of Jesus and meeting the needs of others? The slips you received have different people or groups to whom you can serve. Take a few minutes and decide how you can minister to that person. If possible, think of more than one way to meet their needs. I will give you a few minutes, and then we will share your ideas with the class. APPLICATION You all had some great ideas on how you would serve others. Serving others could involve doing something that you like to do, but it may mean doing something that is hard work and not very fun. You may serve someone who is very special to you. However, you may need to serve someone you may not know or like. Serving helps us to be less selfish, and it helps the person we serve. Here are a couple other ideas on how you can reach out and serve someone in your family. You could serve mom by helping on a chore before she asks. You can help get the trash out of the house and put it just where dad showed you it goes. You can help a younger brother or sister put on their shoes or help them get ready for church. Look for opportunities outside your family where you can reach out and serve someone. You could serve someone at school, at church or in your neighborhood. Have you ever seen someone miss the trash can at school? You could serve the people who clean up by picking up trash and throwing it away. Hold the door for someone coming into church. If your neighbor is working in their yard, you could ask if they need help. Reach out and serve someone you may not even know. You could open a door for an older person at the store. You can offer to carry their bags or put away their shopping cart. Maybe letting them go first could serve them. Thank a policeman, fireman, or someone in the military for doing their job and keeping you safe. 15. Start Small + Serve Big = Great! (Module 4 Extreme Makeover) - 107
Who will you reach out to and serve? What are you going to do this week? Will it be one of the many things we talked about or has God already brought someone to mind? As we close in prayer, I would like you to commit to serving someone this week. When we return next time, please share with our leaders what you did and how it went. [Close in prayer.] PERSONAL TRAINING TIME Goal of this Personal Training Time Help the children to talk about ways they can serve others this week. Discussion Questions 1. How does a person who is great in God s Kingdom act? (They look for ways to serve others. They don t expect something in return for their service. They are not being selfish because they put the needs of others before their own.) 2. Who are the people we talked about that you can serve? (People in our family, our church family, students and teachers, and other community workers like police and firemen as well as the military. We should help our neighbors and anyone else who has a need.) 3. Share with us some ways you have served someone in the past and how you plan to serve someone this week. (Encourage children to commit to doing something this week.) PARENT CONNECTION This week, we learned that Jesus wants us to serve others. Serving is doing something for another regardless of how you feel about the task or the person. We encouraged your child to reach out and serve someone this week. We discussed how they could do that at home, at school, and for those they may not know. Discuss age appropriate ways for your child/children to serve safely. As they complete tasks that put others first or serve others, have them add a small rock to a jar. When full, the family could celebrate with a special treat or a fun family night. 15. Start Small + Serve Big = Great! (Module 4 Extreme Makeover) - 108
Visual 1 15. Start Small + Serve Big = Great! (Module 4 Extreme Makeover) - 109
15. Start Small + Serve Big = Great! (Module 4 Extreme Makeover) - 110