Unit 8 Summary: Snapshot S napshot is all about the pictures of heaven Jesus gave us through His amazing miracles. In Snapshot, we use a photography theme to talk about how Jesus gave us snapshots of heaven through the incredible things He did. In heaven there is no sickness, so Jesus healed the sick. In heaven there is no hunger, so Jesus fed the crowds. In heaven there is no death, so Jesus raised the dead. In heaven there is no sin, so Jesus forgave sinners and gave them the power to live a new life. In this Covenant and Kingdom unit, kids will get a sneak peek at heaven and discover how God wants to use them to bring the Kingdom to earth. 42
GAME ON: LESSON 33 (Large Group) Key Concept: Jesus is bigger than all of our fears Bible Story: Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44) Bible Verse: I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. John 11:25 3DM Principle: Covenant and Kingdom (Kingdom breakthrough) Large Group Overview: Kids will act out the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead to see how Jesus miracles brought heaven to earth Huddle Overview: Kids will do activities to help them think about the story and discover how Jesus can help them overcome their fears 3 9 10 12 1 2 11 Lesson Outline Game Which One s Bigger? Bible Story Jesus raises Lazarus (15 min) Application Jesus is bigger (5 min) Bible Verse and Prayer (5 min) (5 min) 43
Welcome back to Kairos Quest, where we are in the middle of a crazy series called Snapshot. In this series we are talking about pictures and cameras and the snapshots we take to capture the coolest moments of our lives. Here s a snapshot I brought in today of when I was a cute little baby. (Hold up picture or show it on a video screen.) Look how little I was. Everybody say, Awww. Here s another snapshot of me taken a little more recently. (Hold up picture or show it on a video screen.) It s not quite as cute, but you can still say Awww if you want. Looking at these two pictures together, which one has the bigger version of me in it? It s obviously the grown-up version. That was an easy question, but now I have a Snapshot quiz for you guys today called Which One s Bigger? I m going to show you some snapshots of two objects, and you have to yell out which one you think is the larger of the two. Opening Activity: Which One s Bigger? The purpose of this activity is to introduce the idea that Jesus is bigger than our fears. How To Play: Instructions Show kids a pair of pictures and ask them, Which one s bigger? Kids can yell out the answers. Supplies: 6 Snapshots of the following pairs of objects. You can print them off and display them as hard copies or show them on a video screen. 6 earth/moon 6 elephant/rhinoceros 6 Eiffel Tower/Statue of Liberty 6 Picture of today s teacher/weight lifter 6 cat/dog 44
6 airplane/kite 6 eagle/hummingbird 6 brain/heart 6 cheeseburger/pizza 6 Jesus/our fear (just use the words to represent these) Here we go. Let s see if you can guess which one is bigger. 6 The earth or the moon which one s bigger? 6 An elephant or a rhinoceros which one s bigger? 6 The Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty which one s bigger? 6 A weight lifter or me which one s bigger? 6 Cats or dogs which one s bigger? 6 An airplane or a kite which one s bigger? 6 An eagle or a hummingbird which one s bigger? 6 Your brain or your heart which one s bigger? 6 A cheeseburger or a pizza which one s bigger? 6 Jesus or our fear which one s bigger? Bible Story Set the teaching area with a white board and dry erase markers. That last question was kind of different than the others. It was easy to compare the other things on our list. It s also easy to say that Jesus is bigger than our fears, but sometimes in our everyday lives our fears look pretty big. What are some things that kids your age might be afraid of? Take answers from kids and write them on the white board. All of those fears can seem really big when we re in the middle of them. They can seem like they re totally unbeatable and make us feel small and helpless. But in today s Bible story, we re going to see Jesus go up against 45
one of the biggest things people have been afraid of forever death. And by the end of the story, we re going to see how big Jesus really is. I m going to need some helpers to come up here and freeze in place as our snapshot actors. Remember, we re creating living photos up here, so once I put you in place, you have to hold completely still until the end of the story. Who thinks they can do it? Bring up six volunteers: one to play the messenger, one to play dead Lazarus, one to play crying Martha, and three to play Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in the last scene. Snapshot 1: Messenger Snapshot 2: Dead Lazarus Snapshot 3: Crying Martha Snapshot 4: Happy Lazarus, Mary, and Martha In Snapshot 1 is a messenger who brought a really important message. (To kid playing messenger) You need to cup your hands up in front of your mouth like you re announcing something. Once you do that, freeze! In Snapshot 2 is a guy who died. (To kid playing Lazarus) Your job is to lie down on the floor with your arms crossed over your chest. Make sure to close your eyes. Once you do that, freeze! In Snapshot 3 is a woman who s really sad. (To kid playing Martha) I need you to put your face in your hands like you re crying. Once you do that, freeze! 46
Finally in Snapshot 4 is a brother and a couple of sisters who are super happy. (To kids playing the happy versions of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus) So you three get in close together and give us a big thumbs up and smile. Once you do that, freeze! It looks like we re ready for the story of Lazarus. Here we go! To understand today s story, you need to remember that Jesus had some really good friends who were part of the same family. The two sisters were named Mary and Martha, and their brother was named Lazarus. The Bible says that Jesus loved them very much. Think about the friends with whom you just love to hang out. That s what these guys were for Jesus. (Walk over to Snapshot 1) The story begins with this first snapshot. A messenger came to Jesus from Mary and Martha with some bad news. He said, Your friend Lazarus, whom you love, is sick. Jesus said to his friends, the disciples, Lazarus sickness will not end in death. But then He did something kind of weird. He stayed where he was for a few more days. (Walk over to Snapshot 2) By the time Jesus got to this family s house, Lazarus wasn t sick anymore. Lazarus was dead. It was too late. In fact, his family had already buried him four days earlier. (Walk over to Snapshot 3) When Jesus got close to Lazarus house, Martha ran out to meet Him. She was so sad that her brother was gone. She said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. She knew that Jesus had the power to heal people and could have healed Lazarus before he had died. Jesus said, Your brother will rise again. He went on to say, He who believes me will live even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Then Martha ran and got her sister Mary, and they went to Lazarus tomb. (Walk over to Snapshot 4) The Bible says that Lazarus was buried in a cave. Some men had rolled a big, heavy stone in front of the entrance so that no one could go in. After all, Lazarus was dead inside there. No one wanted to see that. 47
But when Jesus got to the tomb, He ordered some men to move the stone out of the way. Then he prayed to His Dad in heaven so that everyone would know God had given Him the power to do what He was about to do. Jesus looked right at the tomb and spoke in a loud, commanding voice, Lazarus, come out! Just imagine Mary and Martha and all their friends gathered around looking at the mouth of the cave, knowing that they had put Lazarus in there dead, thinking they would never see him again. But then something moved inside the cave. Lazarus came walking out! He wasn t dead anymore. He was alive! It was all because of the power of Jesus. Then Lazarus went back to his sisters, and they really did live happily ever after. Application So now let me ask you again. (Hold up Jesus and Our Fears signs used in the opening game, or display them on video screen.) Jesus and our fears which one is bigger? Kids answer. Jesus and death which one is bigger? Kids answer. If you stack Jesus up next to anything bad or scary, which one is bigger? Kids answer. Jesus brought Lazarus back to life and showed us a snapshot of heaven, where there is no death. No one is sad. No one has to say goodbye. No one is afraid. So no matter what you face this week, no matter what you re afraid of, I want you to say, Jesus is bigger. So when you re afraid of storms, what are you going to say? Kids respond, Jesus is bigger! And when you re afraid of the dark, what are going to say? Kids respond, Jesus is bigger! When you re afraid of anything, what are you going to say? Kids respond, Jesus is bigger! 48
Bible Verse Our Bible verse today is what Jesus said to Lazarus sister Martha. In John 11:25, Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. Resurrection is a fancy word meaning raising up, like Jesus raised Lazarus up from the dead. Jesus is saying He is more powerful than even death, and that means He s bigger than all our fears. Prayer God, You are bigger than all of our fears. You re even bigger than death. Please help us to bring heaven to earth this week by trusting You to deal with our fears. Amen 49
GAME ON: LESSON 33 (Huddle) Key Concept: Jesus is bigger than all of our fears Bible Story: Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44) Bible Verse: I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. John 11:25 3DM Principle: Covenant and Kingdom (Kingdom breakthrough) Large Group Overview: Kids will act out the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead to see how Jesus miracles brought heaven to earth Huddle Overview: Kids will do activities to help them think about the story and discover how Jesus can help them overcome their fears Supplies 6 Rolls of toilet paper (2 per group) 6 Index cards (enough for each child) 6 Drawing supplies such as crayons, markers or colored pencils 6 Bible verse cards 50
9 10 11 12 1 2 3 Huddle Group Outline Welcome / Review (5 min) Activity 1 Mummy Makeover (5 min) Activity 2 But Jesus is bigger (10 min) Huddle Discussion Bible Verse & Prayer (5 min) (5 min) Welcome / Large Group Review Gather kids in a circle either on the floor or around a table. Welcome back to Huddle. Today we are talking about how Jesus is bigger than our what? Kids respond, Fears. To start things off, we re going to make a fear snapshot. On the count of three, I want to see your best scared face. Ready? One, two, three, go! Make a funny scared face with the kids. Those were some pretty funny snapshots. But when we re actually afraid of something, it s not very funny. In today s Bible story, a couple of sisters were afraid they had lost their brother forever. 6 Does anyone remember the sisters names? 6 What happened to their brother? 6 What miracle did Jesus perform? 6 What does that miracle tell us about heaven? 6 Do you think Mary, Martha, or Lazarus were scared of anything after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead? Why or why not? 51
Huddle Activity 1: Mummy Makeover The purpose of this activity is to help kids bring the story of Lazarus to life for the kids. How It Works: Divide your huddle into two teams. Have each team choose one team member to play Lazarus. Teams will race to wrap their Lazarus up in toilet paper like a mummy. Play another round having them race to unwrap Lazarus and throw away all of the toilet paper. Supplies 6 Rolls of toilet paper (2 per group) Today we re going to have some fun with the Bible story. I m going to divide the Huddle into two teams. Each team has to pick someone to play Lazarus. When I say go, you re going to race to see who can turn Lazarus into a toilet-paper mummy as fast as possible. The first team to use all of the toilet paper to wrap up Lazarus wins the first round. Whatever you do, though, don t take the toilet paper off, because we re going to need our mummies wrapped up for the second half of the game. Choose your Lazarus. Here s your toilet paper. Ready, set, go! Kids race to wrap up their mummies. Once one team uses all of their toilet paper, stop the game and declare a winner. Great job! It looks like this team is the winner. The other team needs to go ahead and finish wrapping up its Lazarus for round two. Give the second-place team time to wrap up their mummy. Place a trashcan between the two teams for round two. In today s story we saw that Jesus is bigger than all of our fears. He s even bigger than death. This guy, Lazarus, was dead, but it didn t matter because Jesus can do anything. To remind us of this, here s how round two is going to work: I m going to say what Jesus said in the story Lazarus, come out. When I say the word out, your job is to unwrap your mummy as fast as possible and throw away all of the toilet paper. Mummies, you can help with this one 52
too. The first team to throw away every last square of toilet paper wins round two. Remember, you can t start until I say the word, out. One, two three Lazarus, come out! Kids race to unwrap their Lazarus and throw the toilet paper away. The first team to throw every scrap in the trash wins the round. The final round after this is designed to help you get kids seated and quiet again and ready for discussion. Great job, guys. It looks like round two goes to this team. But don t worry. There is one final round to earn points for your team. When I say, go, the first team to sit back down in the circle and get totally quiet wins the round. You have to be in the circle, sitting up straight, as quiet as a ninja to get points for this round. One, two, three, go! Once kids are seated back in the Huddle declare the final winner. Huddle Activity 2: But Jesus Is Bigger! The purpose of this activity is to remind kids that Jesus is bigger than their fears. How To Play: Pass index cards around and have kids write or draw something they re afraid of. Supplies 6 Index Cards (1 per child) 6 Drawing supplies such as crayons, marker or colored pencils That game was pretty crazy and fun, but it s amazing to think that Jesus really did bring Lazarus back to life. This story reminds us that, because of Jesus, we don t have to be afraid of anything. Pass out index cards. Have kids write down something they fear (or let younger kids draw a picture). Once they re done, have them pass the card back to you. Make sure you can read the card or tell what the picture is. 53
You guys have written down some things you re afraid of, but we saw in the Bible story today that Jesus is bigger than all of our fears. I m going to read each one of these cards to the group. When I do, I want you to respond, But Jesus is bigger! Let s try it. Sometimes I m scared of (Read the first card) Get to the kids to respond, But Jesus is bigger! Repeat the same phrase sometimes I m scared of with each card and prompt kids to respond, But Jesus is bigger! As you can see, Jesus is bigger than all of our fears. Huddle Discussion Let s take some time to talk for a minute about what God wants us to do when we re afraid. What are some things that will help us remember that Jesus is bigger than all of our fears? Go around the circle taking responses from kids. Try to help them think about what they can do the next time they re in a scary situation. If necessary, point back to the some of the fears written on the cards to help kids think about concrete fears they might face. Pray through this time and help kids put together a simple action plan to overcome their fears. These could include: memorizing Scripture, telling an adult when they re afraid, praying, asking a friend to pray with them, writing the phrase Jesus Is Bigger in a strategic places, or whatever else may be practical for them. Bible Verse Pass out Bible Verse Cards. Today s Bible verse reminds us that Jesus is bigger than all of our fears, even our fear of death. In John 11:25, Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. Let s read it together. Read through the verse once with kids. 54
Prayer Take prayer requests. Write them down so that you can pray over them during the week. Take time to pray together as a group. Encourage kids to pray for each other during the group time. You may want to close with a prayer like the following one. God, You re big. You re even bigger than our biggest fears. Please help us defeat our fears with Your power. Amen 55
Lesson 33 Huddle BibleVerse Cards I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. John 11:25
LESSON 33 (Family) Jesus Is Bigger Today I Learned: Jesus is bigger than all of our fears. Bible Story: Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44) Family Challenge Make a Jesus Is Bigger poster. Take some poster board and write JESUS IS BIGGER in the middle. Then decorate it as a family with words, Bible verses, and pictures that remind you of Jesus power. Next, take sticky notes and let family members write something they re afraid of or worried about this week. Take turns sticking your fears to the poster board and saying, Jesus is bigger! Hang the poster where the whole family can see it and add fears or worries to it all week long. * Act Observe Account Learning Culture Reflect Plan Discuss * The four questions you are asking are ways of figuring out what your kids Kairos moment was 57
Dinnertime Discussion At dinnertime this week, ask one of these questions to get your family talking. 1. What s one thing you re afraid of or worried about today? 2. When has Jesus helped you overcome a fear? 3. What are some powerful things Jesus has done? 4. How we can remind each other that Jesus is bigger than all our fears? Use these questions to help kids think about how Jesus is more powerful than anything they fear. 58