Week of July 14, 2013 Lessons for the Leader Do you tend to hold grudges you know, that strong feeling of resentment toward someone for a wrong she committed against you. What keeps you from forgiving people? In Luke 15, Jesus shared a parable a short, simple story that communicates a message. Read Luke 15:11-19. Imagine being the father of the son who asked for his inheritance, and then left with everything he owned. How do you think you would have responded to the son's request? Why do you think the father agreed to the request? After the son squandered all he had, he found a job feeding pigs, but stayed hungry because he had nothing to eat. Why did the son decide to return to his father? Read verses 20-21. Picture the young man walking home, rehearsing what he would say to his father. How surprised do you think he was to see his father's reaction? How did the son demonstrate that he was sorry for his actions? Read verses 22-24. How did the father demonstrate forgiveness for his son? He restored the young man's status as son and threw a party! Think about how this story relates a message about God the Father. Do you see it? He watches and waits for His repentant children to come home, then He forgives and celebrates their return! Read Colossians 3:13. Have you been forgiven by the Father? If so, you are to forgive others. Before you teach children in your ministry about forgiveness, examine your own life. Is there someone you need to forgive? What do these symbols mean? Forgive or Not? Focus Passage: Luke 15:11-24 Key Bible Verse: Colossians 3:13 Life Application I can forgive people. Session at a Glance Introduction to Worship (6 to 8 minutes) Greet the Children Play "Forgiveness Free-for-All" Worship (30 minutes/45 minutes) Sing "Whoa!" Sing "Remarkable" Define Forgive/Pray Tell the Bible Story Review the Bible Story Make Life Application Learn the Key Bible Verse Sing "Everlasting God"/Receive Offering Show "What Would You Do?" Video #2 Pray Sing "Lifesong" Application Activities (20 minutes) Wrap-Up (10 minutes) 1a Application Activities Format: Follow the numbers with arrows for a 30-minute, large group plus 20-minute Application Activities format. 1 Follow all the numbers for a 45- to 60-minute large group only format. OK to copy. Page 1 of 12
Introduction to Worship 1aGreet the Children 2aPlay "Forgiveness Free-for-All" Chairs Print "Forgiveness" (CD). Place chairs in a circle (1 less chair than children). Select a volunteer to stand in the center. Guide the children to sit in the chairs. Explain: "I will read a scenario. The person in the middle will decide if the individual in the situation needs to forgive someone. If so, he will shout, 'Forgive!' Everyone must move to another seat. Whoever is left without a chair will be the middle person." Read aloud the first scenario. Allow the child in the middle to decide if he needs to forgive someone or not. Encourage the children to move to new seats. Continue as time permits. Conclude: "Today we will learn why we should choose to forgive." Forgive or Not? Worship 3 Sing "Whoa!" (DVD, 3 minutes) 4aSing "Remarkable" (DVD, 3 minutes) 5aDefine Forgive/Pray (3 minutes) Worship Guides, pencils Distribute Worship Guides and pencils. Lead the children to solve the "Go Team!" rebus. Select a child to read aloud the forgive definition. Ask: "How do you feel when someone forgives you for something you did? How do you feel when you have to ask someone to forgive you?" Guide the children to complete "Corner Kick" or "Batter Up!" Ask: "When does God want us to forgive people?" Pray. 6aTell the Bible Story (7 minutes) 3 Bible times costumes, poster board, marker, scissors, tape Enlist 3 adult men for the drama. Cut 3 name tags from the poster board. Write Father, Older Son, and Younger Son on the name tags. Attach 1 to each actor. Provide copies of the script to the actors. Form three groups. Guide actors to stand in front of the children. Assign each group to a specific actor. Say: "Listen for what your person does. Decide if he should ask for forgiveness or forgive someone." Direct the actors to tell the Bible story. Forgive or Not? Based on Luke 15:11-24 Father: I am the father of these two men. One day my younger son came to me and said, Younger Son: Father, give me my share of what you own. Father: So I gave him the things he would later inherit from me. A few days later, he packed up everything he owned and traveled to another country. Younger: I spent all of my money and was left with nothing. If that was not bad enough, a famine (a shortage of food usually caused by a lack of rain) caused even more problems. I had nothing. I had to take a job feeding pigs. No one would give me any food. I was so hungry, some days I wanted to eat the pigs' food. I finally thought, My father has many people working for him. Those people have more than enough to eat. I will go home, ask my father to forgive me, and ask him to hire me as one of his servants. As I made my way home, my father saw me. Father: I was so happy when I saw my son. I ran to him, and hugged and kissed him. Younger: I told my father, "I have sinned against you and against God. I am not worthy to be called your son." Father: I told my servants, "Quickly, bring the best robe and put it on my son. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Prepare the Page 2 of 12
fattened calf for a celebration. My son was away, but now he is home." Older Son: As I came back to the house after a hard day's work in the field, I saw what was happening. I heard music and saw the people dancing. I asked one of the servants, "What is happening?" I was surprised to learn that my younger brother had returned home and that my father was having a party for him. I became angry and did not want to go to the party. I told my father, "I have never left you, but you have never given me a party like this. But my brother leaves, wastes your money, comes home, and you throw him a party!" Father: I told my older son, "You have always been with me. Everything I own is yours. I had to celebrate because your brother has come home. He was lost, but now I know where he is." 7aReview the Bible Story (6 minutes) Actors and name tags from step 6 Print "Forgive" Teaching Picture (CD). Invite each group to share how the person needed to ask for forgiveness or be forgiven. Say: "The sons needed to ask for forgiveness the younger son for the way he treated his father; the older son for the way he reacted toward his younger brother. Each person also needed to forgive. The younger son needed to forgive his older brother. The older brother needed to be forgiven because of the way he acted when the younger brother returned. The father needed to forgive both of his sons for the way they acted." Display the teaching picture. Say: "The younger son hurt his father by taking his inheritance and leaving town. The son thought his father's money was more important than their relationship, but soon realized he needed his father. He knew he had hurt his dad, but he hoped his dad would forgive him enough to at least let him be a servant. The son received so much more when the father welcomed him home as his son and did not punish him for the hurt he had caused." Allow actors to exit. Ask: "What can we learn from this parable?" 8aMake Life Application (7 minutes) Guide the children to complete "Warm Up!" or "Home Run! Strike Out!" on the Worship Guides. Invite the children to share their responses. Say: "Forgiving someone or asking someone to forgive you is a choice. We can choose to forgive the person, or we can choose to have bad feelings about her. What do you think God wants us to do?" 9 Learn the Key Bible Verse (4 minutes) Poster board, marker Write the words of Colossians 3:13 on the poster board. Display. Call attention to the poster. Read aloud Colossians 3:13. Ask: "How has God forgiven us? What would happen if God would not forgive us of our sins?" Explain: "God chose to make a way for Him to forgive us. God's way included Jesus dying on the cross for us." Challenge: "If God was willing to go to the extreme of Jesus dying on the cross to provide forgiveness, we can certainly choose to forgive people when they mistreat us." 10a Sing "Everlasting God" (DVD, 3 minutes)/ Receive Offering 11a Show "What Would You Do?" Video #2 (DVD, 6 minutes) Show the video. Pause as instructed and invite the children to discuss the situations. 12aPray (2 minutes) Say: "Let's pray and ask God to give us the right attitude about forgiving people as well as being willing to ask for forgiveness." Pray. 13 Sing "Lifesong" (DVD, 3 minutes) 14a Transition to Application Activities or Wrap-Up Week of July 14, 2013 Page 3 of 12
Wrap-Up (Large Group Only Format) 15 Play "Take a Chance" (6 minutes) 24 sheets of construction paper, scissors, tape Print 3 copies of "Take a Chance" (CD). Cut apart cards. Tape 1 card to each piece of construction paper. Randomly place the papers around the room, cards facedown on the floor. Print "Questions" (CD). Form two teams. Say: "I will ask your team a question. If you correctly answer the question, one team member will stand on a piece of paper. We will alternate answering questions and picking papers to stand on." Read aloud the questions, allowing the teams to pick papers to stand on. Continue: "Each piece of paper has a card taped to it. Pick up your paper and stand with your group." Assist as needed. Say: "Let's see which team has the most 'You Forgave' cards." Reveal the cards and count the "You Forgave" cards. Congratulate the children on their efforts. Explain: "You had to make a choice as to which piece of paper to stand on. In the same manner, you have to make a choice to forgive someone. If there is someone you need to forgive or you need to ask someone to forgive you, try to do so as soon as possible." Wrap-Up (Application Activities Format) 15aShare Application Activities (3 minutes) Invite the children to share their Application Activity experiences. darts d and Crafts Sidewalk Chalk ddramatic d Play "What Would You Do?" dgames Tower d Knockdown dexploration d and Discovery Potato of Forgiveness 16a Learn the Key Bible Verse (4 minutes) Poster board, marker Write the words of Colossians 3:13 on the poster board. Display. Call attention to the poster. Read aloud Colossians 3:13. Ask: "How has God forgiven us? What would happen if God did not forgive us of our sins?" Explain: "God chose to make a way for Him to forgive us. God's way included Jesus dying on the cross for us." Challenge: "If God was willing to go to the extreme of Jesus dying on the cross to provide forgiveness, we can choose to forgive people when they mistreat us." 17a Sing "Wake Up the World" (DVD, 3 minutes) 18aDismiss the Children to Their Parents 16 Sing "Wake Up the World" (DVD, 3 minutes) 17 Dismiss the Children to Their Parents Week of July 14, 2013 Worship KidStyle Children's Edition Leader Guide 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Page 4 of 12
Application Activities Select from the following choices. Each choice is designed for 20 minutes of small group time. Disinfected egg cartons, scissors, plaster of paris, water, liquid tempera paint, mixing bowl, large spoon, measuring cups and spoons, chalk, construction paper, table Cut egg cartons in thirds (1 per child). Recipe 1 cup plaster of paris ½ cup lukewarm water 3 tbsp. tempera paint Mix plaster of paris and water. Stir in paint. Pour into egg cartons. Allow to dry. Worship Through Arts and Crafts Sidewalk Chalk Ask: "Have you ever made a mistake you wish you could undo? How did you fix the mistake?" Distribute chalk and construction paper. Guide the children to locate Colossians 3:13 in their Bibles. Say: "Write the key words of this verse on your paper." Invite the children to share words and why they believe they are important. Review the Bible story. Ask: "In what ways did the younger brother demonstrate the words we read in Colossians 3:13? How about the older brother and father?" Say: "Sidewalk chalk is a fun way to write a message. If you make a mistake, you can wash it away. When we make mistakes, we need to ask God to forgive us. We also need to ask the person whom we hurt to forgive us. If a person does something to us, we need to forgive him as well." Place the ingredients on the table. Follow directions in "Recipe." Continue: "The Bible says God forgives us. He wants us to forgive, just as He forgave us." Pray for a willingness to ask for forgiveness as well as forgive others. Say: "Your chalk will need several hours to dry. When it is hard, remove the chalk from the egg carton, and use it to write messages about forgiveness on your driveway." Scissors, brad, safety pin Print and assemble "Spinner" (CD). Print and cut apart "Situations" (CD). Worship Through Dramatic Play "What Would You Do?" Say: "Welcome to the TV show 'What Would You Do?' The show that puts you in situations and asks 'what would you do?' All of you will be our contestants. You will spin the spinner to discover your location. I'll read aloud a situation and you tell me 'what would you do'?" Select a child to spin the spinner. Read aloud a situation related to the location. Allow the child to respond, then continue with additional children. Review the Bible story. Guide the children to locate Colossians 3:13 in their Bibles. Ask: "In what ways did the younger brother demonstrate the words we read in Colossians 3:13? How about the older brother and father?" Continue: "The Bible says God forgives us. He wants us to forgive others." Pray for a willingness to ask for forgiveness as well as forgive others. Week of July 14, 2013 Page 5 of 12
Empty boxes, cardboard tubes, plastic cups, paper plates, 10 clean socks, 5 hula hoops, stopwatch Place the hoops around the outside area of the room. Place the tubes, boxes, cups, and plates in the center of the room. Roll the socks into ball shapes. Teacher Tips Ensure everyone gets a turn at throwing the socks. Replay the game as time permits. Potato Print "Situations" (CD). Prepare and post an allergy chart listing potato. Worship Through Games Tower Knockdown Guide each child to select a partner. Assign each pair to a hoop. Say: "You have two minutes to build a tower in your hoop. Pick an item, take it to your hoop and put it in place, then return to get another item. Continue until each item is taken or time is called." Assist with building the towers. Explain: "Let's see how well you can defend your tower. Use the socks to knock down another team's tower. At the same time, protect your tower. When your tower falls, your team is out of the game." Toss the socks into the center of the playing area. Play until one tower remains standing. Ask: "How did you feel when your tower fell? Did you get upset? Why?" Talk about the children's feelings. Review the Bible story. Guide the children to locate Colossians 3:13 in their Bibles. Ask: "In what ways did the younger brother demonstrate the words in this verse? How about the older brother and father?" Continue: "The Bible says God forgives us. He wants us to forgive others." Pray for a willingness to ask for forgiveness as well as forgive others. Worship Through Exploration and Discovery Potato of Forgiveness Guide the children to form a circle. Explain: "I will select someone to be the caller. He will stand with his back to the circle and close his eyes. The rest of us will pass the potato around the circle. The caller will tell us when to stop. The person holding the potato will be out of the game." Select a caller and guide the children to pass the potato around the circle. Direct the caller to call "Stop" when he desires. Invite the child with the potato to kneel on his knees. Continue the game until only one player remains. Ask: "How did you feel when you were eliminated? Did you get upset with the caller or the person who gave you the potato? How would getting upset help in this game? How does getting upset in life help us?" Continue: "Why did the older brother get upset when his father threw a party for his brother?" Review the Bible story. Guide the children to locate Colossians 3:13 in their Bibles. Ask: "In what ways did the younger brother demonstrate the words in this verse? How about the older brother and father?" Continue: "The Bible says God forgives us. God wants us to forgive, just as He forgave us. Let's see how well you would forgive someone. We will again pass the potato around the circle. I will call 'Stop.' The person holding the potato will tell us how she would respond to a situation. Pass the potato, call time, and read aloud a situation. Continue as time permits. Pray for a willingness to ask for forgiveness as well as forgive others. Worship KidStyle Children s Edition Leader Guide 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. OK to copy. Page 6 of 12
Corbert Gauthier Forgive or Not? 2010 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Printed in the USA. Luke 15:11-24 Page 7 of 12
Forgiveness Your mom asked you to pick up your dirty clothes and put them in the hamper. On Saturday, you began looking for your soccer jersey. When you found the jersey, it was under your bed and smelled really bad. You got mad and blamed your mom for not washing your jersey. Should your mom forgive you for the way you acted? If so, shout, "Forgive!" ----------------------------------------- The store manager asked your friends not to ride your bikes on the sidewalk outside the store. You and your friends decided not to listen and continued riding. One day, a lady came out of the store with her groceries. She did not see you on your bike and you could not stop in time. You ran into the lady, knocking her down, and making her spill her groceries. The store manager came out to help the lady. He called your parents and told them what happened. Should you forgive the store manager for calling your parents? If so, shout, "Forgive!" ----------------------------------------- Your teacher assigned a project three weeks ago. Now the day before the project is due, you decide to begin working on it. Your dad says he has an important meeting and will not be home until late, so there is no time for him to help. You yell, "You don't love me! If you loved me you would help me with this project!" Your dad says he is sorry, but it is not his fault that you waited until the last minute. Should you forgive your dad for not helping you? If so, shout, "Forgive!" ----------------------------------------- Your sister wants to watch her favorite TV show. You cannot concentrate on your homework with the TV on, so you ask her to wait. Your sister politely asks you to go to your bedroom to finish your homework. When your parents come home, you tell your mom your sister made you go to your bedroom and would not help you with your homework. Your mom tells your sister she cannot watch anymore TV. You laugh as your sister turns off the TV. Should your sister forgive you? If so, shout, "Forgive!" ----------------------------------------- Since the first grade, you and Dennis had been best friends. You had been to each other's birthday parties and spent as much time together as possible. Now that you and Dennis are in the fifth grade, Dennis has made new friends. Last week, you invited him to come to your house on Saturday. Dennis told some of his friends, "I don't want to go to his house. We never have any fun together." Dennis also told some things that were not true about you. Now Dennis and all of his friends do not want to have anything to do with you. Should you forgive Dennis? If so, shout, "Forgive!" ----------------------------------------- Uncle Frank promised the next time he was in town he would take you fishing. When Uncle Frank visited, you reminded him about his promise. Uncle Frank said, "Oh, I was just kidding. I don't want to go fishing. Find someone else to take you." Should you forgive Uncle Frank? If so, shout, "Forgive!" Forgiveness (July 14) Worship KidStyle Children s Edition, Summer 2013 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Printed in USA. OK to copy. Page 8 of 12
You Forgave You Forgave You Forgave You Forgave You Did Not Forgive You Did Not Forgive You Did Not Forgive You Did Not Forgive Take a Chance (July 14) Worship KidStyle Children s Edition, Summer 2013 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Printed in USA. OK to copy. Page 9 of 12
What does it mean to forgive someone? (to refuse to punish someone who has hurt or sinned against you) Which do you feel is easier, to forgive someone or to ask someone to forgive you? Why? (Answers will vary.) When does God want us to forgive people? (all the time) How do you feel when someone forgives you for something you did? (Answers will vary.) How do you feel when you have to forgive someone? (Answers will vary.) What did the younger son ask his dad to give him? (his share of what the father owned) What did the younger son do after receiving his inheritance from his father? (packed up everything he owned and traveled to another country) What did the younger son do when he arrived in another country? (spent all his money and had nothing left) What is a famine? (a shortage of food usually caused by a lack of rain) How did the famine impact the younger son? (He had nothing to eat.) What job did the younger son have? (feeding pigs) What did the younger son think about his father? (his father had many people working for him, the people had enough to eat, the son would return home and ask his father to hire him as a servant) How did the father respond when the son returned home? (He was excited; He hugged and kissed the son.) What did the father tell the servants to do for his son? (Bring the best robe and put it on him; Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet; Prepare the fattened calf.) How did the older son feel when he saw what was taking place? (He was upset with his father.) Who needed to ask for forgiveness in this story? (both sons) Why do you think the father was willing to forgive his younger son? (Answers will vary.) Locate and read aloud Colossians 3:13. How has God forgiven you? (Answers will vary.) What would happen if God did not forgive us of our sins? (Answers will vary.) Tell about a time you had to forgive someone. (Answers will vary.) Tell about a time you had to ask someone to forgive you. (Answers will vary.) In what ways did Jesus' death on the cross provide forgiveness for you? (Answers will vary.) Does your attitude have any impact on how you forgive people? If so, how? (Answers will vary.) Questions (July 14) Worship KidStyle Children s Edition, Summer 2013 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Printed in USA. OK to copy. Page 10 of 12
1. Cut out the spinner. 2. Insert a brad through the safety pin. Place the brad through the center of the spinner. Open brad to secure in place. 3. Adjust the tension on the brad so the safety pin spins. Church Home School Park Spinner (July 14) Worship KidStyle Children s Edition, Summer 2013 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Printed in USA. OK to copy. Page 11 of 12
Church School Home Park Three new kids visit your church during Vacation Bible School. You know one of the girls from school. She has said things about you that are not true. Your teacher asks you to help her during craft time. Pastor Brown has noticed a lot of kids passing notes during the worship time. He sees you passing notes the next Sunday. He stops you in the hallway and asks you about the notes. You tell him that it was not you, but you know it is not true. Pastor Brown talks with your mom about you lying to him as well as passing notes. Mr. Presley promised to take the kids who memorized 25 Bible verses out for ice cream. You worked hard to memorize the verses. When the day came, Mr. Presley allowed everyone to go. He said it did not matter how many verses each person memorized, he wanted everyone to get ice cream. Doing homework is not one of your favorite things to do. You usually wait until the last minute to complete it and some days you don't even turn it in. When you receive your report card, you have zeros where you did not turn in your homework. Your parents ground you because of your grades. The school talent show is something you have waited all year to participate in. Finally, the day for the try-outs arrives. You do your best and know you have made the talent show. When the list of people is posted, your name is not on the list. You did not make the talent show. You ask the teacher and she says your talent was not good enough this year. Your teacher allows you to keep bottled water on your desk. The kid who sits in front of you bumps your desk, causing your water to spill in your lap. When you stand up, it looks like you had an accident. The other kids laugh at you. Your dad's company has had to delete several jobs. Yesterday your dad told you his job was deleted. As a result, you will not be able to take a family vacation this summer. You were really excited about going to the beach. You blame your father for losing his job. You know your bedtime is 9:30 pm. Your favorite movie has 30 minutes before it goes off. You ask your mom if you can stay up and finish the movie. Your mom says no because you have to go to the doctor in the morning and will need to get up early. You throw the remote control on the sofa and stomp out of the room. Your brother and you promised if your parents would let you get a dog, you both would take care of her. Your parents agreed, however, when the dog needs to be taken outside neither you nor your brother want to take her. Your parents say if one of you doesn't take care of the dog, you will have to get rid of her. You have been waiting 15 minutes for the kid in front of you to get off of the swings. Finally, the boy jumps off the swing. His older brother cuts in front of you to get on the swing. The final baseball game just began. Your team is winning three to two. The final inning begins. If the other team does not score, your team will win the championship. The next player steps up to bat. The pitcher pitches the ball. The ball is hit. You know it is a foul ball so you do not run after it. The umpire says it is fair. The other team scores and ties the game. Two kids are sitting on the slides talking. You ask them if you can slide, but they tell you no. You tell your mom, but the other kids come over and say you were mean to them. Your mother makes you go play somewhere else. Situations (July 14) Worship KidStyle Children s Edition, Summer 2013 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Printed in USA. OK to copy. Page 12 of 12