A Series of Fortunate Events - PDF Free Download

FOR LEADERS ONLY GOD VIEW: the connection between FAITH and God's character, as shown through God's big story God reveals Himself to us through the Bible, creation, even other people in our lives. Every day when the sun rises, we see God s power. When flowers bloom each spring, God is reminding us that He is at work in the world. Through stories of God moving in other people s lives, we build confidence that God knows each of us individually. The discisples walked with Jesus, heard Him teach, and witnessed miracles at His hand. Yet even they had moments when they doubted God. But Jesus used these moments to help build the disciples faith. Faith is believing in what you can t see because of what you can see. Unlike the disciples, we can t physically see the work of Jesus as proof of God s love. But we can see all of the many other ways God reveals Himself. Through the things we can see, we can believe that what the Bible says about God is true. When we recognize God at work around us, we respond to Him with trust. We have confidence that He has a plan for our lives, and we are willing to take risks to see that plan accomplished. Even in our moments of doubt, God will show us something to remind us to have faith. This month, let s think about how: (1) Faith is a response to what we know about God from Scripture (2) Faith is grounded in what can see and hear. (3) Faith is evidenced by the choices we make (4) Having faith doesn t mean we ll never doubt, but through doubt we can learn to trust God even when we can t see Him. This week, we re discovering: In this week s Bible story, John the Baptist has been jailed for preaching about God s love (Luke 7:18-22; Supporting: Matthew 11, Mark 6:17-20, Luke 3:1-21, 6, 7:1-16). In this dark time, John is struggling with doubt that Jesus really is the Savior. He sends 2 of his disciples to go ask Jesus for confirmation. John s disciples return and tell John about all the miracles they saw Jesus perform. Our Bottom Line is: when I hear what Jesus has done, it helps me believe who Jesus is. The Bible doesn t tell us how John responded to his disciples report. But the fact that Jesus chose to answer his doubts with stories shows how powerful stories can be. Hearing how God works in other people s lives can help us believe that He will work in ours. It s important to listen to the way that following Jesus has impacted people s lives. The monthly memory verse is: Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1, NIrV Sometimes we hope that God will work in our lives in a certain way. But we don t always see it happening right away. When we hear stories of how He s working in other people s lives, we can build faith that He will answer our prayers when the time is right. 2

A Series of Fortunate Events Bible Story: A Series of Fortunate Events (John the Baptist in jail) Luke 7:18-22 (Supporting: Matthew 11; Mark 6:17-20; Luke 3:1-21; 6; 7:1-16) Bottom Line: When I hear what Jesus has done, it helps me believe who Jesus is. Memory Verse: Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1, NIrV Life App: Faith believing in what you can t see because of what you can see. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Plug In: Focus the Energy (Small Groups, 10-15 minutes) Focus the energy on today s Bible story in a Small Group setting with an engaging discussion question and an interactive opening activity. Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Thank God for actively working in our lives. Pray that each kid in your group will hear stories of how God impacts friends and family members. Ask God to allow Himself to be seen consistently working in their lives. 2. The Principal s Office What You Need: No supplies What You Do: Begin the game by having everyone stand in a circle. Choose an outgoing kid to be the school principal. The principal s task is to make a player smile or laugh by using a series of ridiculous questions. Tell everyone that as soon as the game begins, everyone must put on a serious face. Instruct the principal to face one of the kids in the circle and ask, Is it true, and then insert an offthe-wall question. For example, Is it true that you like to stand on your head and sing at the top of your voice like this [insert scream]? The player must reply, I cannot tell a lie, and then repeat what the principal said. ( I cannot tell a lie. It is true that I like to stand on my head and sing at the top of my voice like this. ) If at any time the player or those around him smiles, laughs, or giggles, they must sit down. To keep the game moving, consider giving the principal a time limit or a number of players he can approach before choosing a new principal. The game is over when no players are left standing. Below are some additional questions. Let the kids add their own if they d like, but monitor them to make sure nothing inappropriate or personally embarrassing is asked. Is it true that your name is Stu and you choose to chew shoes? Is it true that you own a squirrel-faced rhinoceros that looks like this [insert silly face]? Is it true that you can talk without moving your tongue? (Do the action of not moving your tongue while asking the question.) Is it true that you just spent all your money on a bagpipe that sounds like this [insert wheezing sound]? What You Say: 3

Someone once said, There s no such thing as a dumb question. We may have just proven otherwise! But seriously, apart from the ones in our game, questions are very important. Ask the right ones and you re better off. Don t ask and you could end up making some big mistakes. When it comes to getting answers about God, there are no wrong or stupid questions. [Transition] In the story today, a guy had some important questions about Jesus. Let s go find out what he asked and how Jesus answered. Lead your group to the Large Group area. 4

Catch On: Make the Connection (Small Groups, 25-30 minutes) Make the connection of how today s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive activities and discussion questions. 1. Prison Letters; Dear John (application activity / review the Bible story / great for active learners) What You Need: Bibles, paper, markers What You Do: Briefly review the sequence of events in today s story by asking the kids what they remember from the lesson. Refer to Luke 7:18-22 for details or to clarify story content. Ask them to share some reasons why John could have easily felt discouraged, confused, frustrated, or scared. Remind the kids that when John was in prison, he couldn t do the things he wanted to do, such as go see the amazing miracles Jesus was doing, listen to Him teach, or simply ask Him a question. John may have also been in chains, which would have made everything even more discouraging and difficult. Set out paper and markers. Explain that you d like everyone to imagine that they have an opportunity to send a letter to encourage John the Baptist while he s in prison. Review today s Bottom Line: [Impress] When I hear what Jesus has done, it helps me believe who Jesus is. Ask them to write a short note or draw a picture that would have helped John believe who Jesus is or what He has done. Make it more challenging by putting the kids in invisible chains. Assign each kid a different pose such as being chained with one wrist to their knee, one arm behind their back, right hand holding their left ear, wrist to wrist, or any combination you come up with. Tell everyone to remain in their invisible chains until they complete their letters. Even though the poses will be silly and somewhat challenging, ask kids to make their notes reflect something that would have seriously encouraged John to keep on believing in Jesus. When finished, let kids briefly share their Dear John letters with one another. What You Say: Your invisible chains were a pain. They made writing a letter a challenge. Imagine if you had been John and your prison chains were real! It s hard to put ourselves in John s place and feel what he must have felt. There he was in prison having done nothing wrong. Discouraged. Confused. In the midst of it all, he was beginning to wonder if he d gotten his signals crossed about whether Jesus really was the Messiah. He had a lot of questions running through his head and no way to ask them. Unlike today, he couldn t just open up a Bible and read about Jesus from beginning to end. He had to rely on others and what they had heard Jesus say and what they had seen Him do. The disciples had a huge impact on John s faith. That s because they shared the stories of Jesus miracles and teaching and it helped John know that Jesus was indeed the Promised One. [Apply] We have the great privilege of being able to share how God has worked in our lives, too. We can share Jesus with our friends and family. We can talk about Him at church and Small Group. We can grow our own faith by reading the stories of those in the Bible and learning how God showed up for them in the past. 2. Faith Journals: What You Need: Faith Journals, pens 5

What You Do: Give an assembled Faith Journal to any kids who do not have one. Explain to newcomers that one of the ways we build our faith is by paying attention to how God provides for us every day. Tell them that the journal is a tool to help them watch for and remember the things God is doing in their life. Invite those who were at Small Group last week to share from their journals any answers to prayer or ways they saw God at work in the past week. [Apply] Challenge the kids to read about Jesus this week from the book of John and discover five things they can believe about Him and write them on the back of this week s journal page to share when they come back next week. Invite kids to quietly kneel together in a circle. Allow a few minutes for them to pray silently for themselves and the kids on their left and right side. Direct them to [Apply] ask God to bring people into their lives who can encourage them to have stronger faith. Pray and Dismiss What You Say: When John heard all that Jesus was doing, it helped him believe with certainty that Jesus was the Promised One God had sent. The same goes for us. [Impress] When I hear what Jesus has done, it helps me believe who Jesus is. Just like He did with John, God wants to strengthen your faith this week. [Apply] He might use a verse you read in the Bible or He might speak to you through someone else who has faith in God. He might even use YOU to help a friend believe who Jesus is. Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent CUE cards as adults arrive to pick up. 6