Download 252 Groups March 2013, Week 5 K

252 Groups
March 2013, Week 5
K-5 Compact
GETTING READY: Here’s everything you need to know to get ready for this week.
Power Up: Engage the Heart (Large Group, 20-25 minutes)
Engage children’s hearts in a Large Group setting through interactive worship, prayer, and an innovative retelling of today’s Bible story.
1. Opener/Closer
What You Need:
 Assistant
 3 kid volunteers
 Leader and 1 additional adult volunteer
 6 paper bags
 Hard boiled egg
 Ham
 Rabbit food—lettuce or carrots
 3 Peeps® (the marshmallow candy)
 Large notecard and pen
 3 chocolate bunnies or other yummy Easter treats
 3 bandanas or stretchy headbands to use as blindfolds
 Prop box or cart
 Kazoos/party hats/etc. (enough for everyone)
Large Group Visuals (downloadable from the website):
 “Easter Eats Eggstravaganza” Slide
 Bottom Line Slide
What You Do:
 Put the hardboiled egg in a paper bag and label it Easter Eat #1. Put the ham in a paper bag and label
it Easter Eat #2. Put some rabbit food in a paper bag and label it Easter Eat #3. Put one peep in each
of the three paper bags and label them each Easter Eat #4. Put all the bags on a cart or in a prop box.
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252 Groups
March 2013, Week 5
K-5 Compact
2. Bible Story
What You Need:
 Leader
 Bible
 Assistant (or other volunteer who can do some basic drawings)
 3 pieces of black poster board
 3 easels or other way to display the poster board (need to be able to be turned around)
 Glow in the dark paint
 At least one 24-inch black light (found at Wal-Mart or stores like it for $10)
Note: If you don’t have a black light or glow-in-the-dark paint, you can show the back of the poster board
only and flip it over to reveal the picture painted in regular paint at the right moment.
Music and Sound Effects (SFX): all optional; adds to the drama of the Easter story, but can do without
 Clinking swords and shouts
 Running footsteps
 Pounding
 Knocking
 Door slam and lock
Large Group Visuals (downloadable from the website):
 Bottom Line Slide
 One Big Story Timeline
What You Do:
 Download the slides and have them ready to use. If you do not have CG capabilities, you have
Orange’s permission to enlarge and print the slides on paper. Note: We provide standard and
widescreen image sizes if you choose to display the Big Story Timeline on your screens. If you prefer to
have a printed version, head to www.ThinkOrange.com, click “Orange Store,” and search “Big Story
Timeline” to order a high quality poster.
 Download the sound effects from a resource like iTunes.
 Paint the symbols in glow-in-the-dark paint in advance so it can dry. The Assistant or another volunteer
will pretend to be painting during the story, tracing these with his or her finger, live on the stage.
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252 Groups
March 2013, Week 5
K-5 Compact
FOR LEADERS ONLY
GOD VIEW: the connection between EASTER and God’s character,
as shown through God’s big story
In the beginning, God showed His love when He made the Garden of Eden. In this Magnificent Paradise, God
walked with His people, taught them, spent time with them face-to-face. But His people went their own way
when Adam and Eve broke God’s rule, and they turned their backs on Him. Even then, God had a plan to
rescue His people.
Through generations, God reminded His people of His love. He showed Abraham His love when He provided a
sacrifice to take Isaac’s place. He showed the Israelites His love when He protected them at the Passover. He
sent Prophets, like Isaiah, who delivered message after message of God’s love.
Then, when the time was right, God sent His very own Son, Jesus, to show His love to His people. Jesus
walked with people and taught them. Though He lived like us with struggles and temptations, He never sinned.
Yet His enemies betrayed Him and handed Him over to be crucified. It was a confusing time for His followers,
but God knew it was part of His rescue plan.
“God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son. Anyone who believes in Him will not
die but will have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIrV) God sacrificed Jesus to take our place. Because we are
protected by Jesus’ blood, we can have a relationship with the God who loves us.
But God’s rescue plan didn’t end with Jesus dying for us. Three days later God brought Jesus back from the
dead! God proved that His love is more powerful than anything—even death!
No matter what circumstances we face, even today, we can trust God because we believe in the sacrifice He
made, walk in a relationship with Him, and know the power of His love.
This week, we’re discovering:
In this week’s Bible story, we’re examining some of the amazing things Jesus said and the most amazing thing
He did. (John 3:3,16; 14:1-6, 28-29; John 18–20) Jesus made some incredible statements about Himself, so
incredible that some people had trouble believing everything He said. And when Jesus died, even some of His
followers doubted that His words were true. But then the most amazing miracle happened: Jesus came back to
life! At that moment, all the incredible things He said came true!
Our Bottom Line is: when Jesus came back from the dead, it proved that what He said was true. Even
after He came back to life, He lovingly explained God’s Big Story to the followers who had doubts. When we
have doubts about God, we can remember He kept the biggest promise of all. We can trust Him to keep His
other promises to us.
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If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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252 Groups
March 2013, Week 5
K-5 Compact
Truth Is …
Bible Story: Truth Is … (Easter) • John 3:3,16; 14:1-6, 28-29; John 18–20
Bottom Line: When Jesus came back from the dead, it proved what He said was true.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Power Up: Engage the Heart (Large Group, 20-25 minutes)
Engage children’s hearts in a Large Group setting through interactive worship, prayer, and an innovative telling
of today’s Bible story.
Enter, wearing Easter bunny ears and any other cheesy Easter
attire.
Opener
ASSISTANT: “Haaaaappppy Easter, you guys! It is so great to get to spend this important day with you all.
Seriously. This day is not about candy or bunnies or egg hunts. It’s about celebrating that Jesus is alive—even
if we can’t see Him! Now, I need to ask you to do something with me. I’m going to say, ‘He is risen’ and I want
you to yell, ‘He is risen, indeed!’ Can you do that? Okay, ready. He is risen! (Wait for their response.) Great!
Again—He is risen! (Response.) That was awesome. Yes, on Easter we shout it from the rooftops that Jesus is
not in the tomb, but He is risen, indeed. That is good news! That is why we celebrate Easter.
“Now, I will say waking up on Easter morning to a good old Easter egg hunt or some of that yummy Easter
candy is just plain fun. Delicious, even. Just think about those peanut butter cups shaped like eggs.
Marshmallows shaped like eggs. Jelly beans shaped like eggs. Cadbury eggs shaped like, well, eggs. But it’s
not just the candy either. We have some of the best food on Easter too, right?! You know what, instead of just
talking about it, why don’t we play a game about it, huh? Sound good? Great! I need three volunteers to
compete in our Easter Eats EGGstravaganza.
CG: Easter Eats EGGstravaganza Slide
Select three kid volunteers of varying ages to come on stage.
Even though there is no peanut butter involved, try to weed out
anyone with allergies, if possible.
“Great—I’ve got my volunteers; now I just need some Easter Eats!
Leader and one other helper rolls cart/carries box on stage with
the paper bags of food. Leader and helper should stay on stage to
help kids pass the bags around and make sure Assistant gets the
answers written down.
“Okay, we’ve got three bags of food here for you each to guess what is inside of them. I want you to reach
inside each bag and touch it to see what it is. Then, whisper your best guess to me and I’ll write it down.
You’ve got a few seconds for each bag, then pass the bag down to the next person. We’ll keep going until
you’ve all had a chance to touch the food in each of the three bags. Let’s see how well you know your Easter
Eats without being able to look at what’s inside!
ASSISTANT: “On your mark, get set, GO!”
SFX: Fun, upbeat music until the buzzer sounds (which can be made by the Assistant)
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252 Groups
March 2013, Week 5
K-5 Compact
Leader, helper, and Assistant should all help keep the bags
moving down the line and back around to the first kid.
ASSISTANT: “Wow, that was impressive. You guys did great at keeping that moving, but let’s see how you did
at guessing what food it was without being able to see it.
Announce the answers for each bag. Ad lib commentary based on
whether the responses are the same or not, how crazy the
guesses are, etc.
“Very interesting guesses you guys had there. Let’s see what actually is in bag number one.
Open up the bag, pull out the egg, and react. Repeat the reveal
section of the game until you’ve gone through all of the bags (egg,
ham, rabbit food). Go over the current standings.
ASSISTANT: “But we’re not done yet. We have the final round to play, and let me tell you, it’s a doozy. You
guys did pretty well guessing what the food was by touching it, but do you think you can do the same thing by
tasting it?!
Leader pulls out bandanas and the remaining paper bags. Put the
bandanas on each of the kids.
ASSISTANT: “Each of you will get a chance to taste what’s in this bag, and then at the end, you’ll each write
down your guess as to what it is. Here we go!
Each adult should stand next to a kid and give them a bite of the
Peep at the same time. Take off their bandanas and ask them
what they think it is? Call on each of them, then do the big reveal
as you did in previous rounds.
ASSISTANT: “That was awesome. You guys did a great job guessing what you were feeling and tasting, and
you didn’t even have to see to know what it was! I’m glad you trusted us, because you would have missed out
on some deliciousness if you hadn’t! In fact, since you each trusted us, here’s an EGGstremely awesome
prize.”
Give each kid a chocolate bunny or other yummy Easter treat for
helping. Dismiss kids and the helper back to their seats. Leader
stays on stage as Assistant exits.
SETTING UP THE STORY
CG: One Big Story Timeline
LEADER: “Jesus was the Promised One! Everything that God had been doing since the start of His big story—
when we read the Bible—came true in Jesus. And the most amazing thing Jesus ever did was about to come
true. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself here.
“Jesus certainly did some incredible things in the three years that He traveled and taught. During that time, His
disciples watched as Jesus spoke to crowds, healed the sick, and performed miracles time and time again.
Like Zacchaeus, many people who encountered Jesus were changed forever. Jesus not only did some
incredible things though, He also said incredible things too. But there were times when His words were hard to
understand. Like when Jesus said (read John 3:3 directly from the Bible), ‘What I’m about to tell you is true. No
one can see God’s kingdom without being born again.’ (NIrV) Even the Pharisee Jesus was talking to had to
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252 Groups
March 2013, Week 5
K-5 Compact
question Jesus on that one—Nicodemus said, ‘How can I be born when I am old? I can’t go back inside my
mother! I can’t be born a second time!’ (Assistant ‘draws’ the baby or flips over the poster board to reveal the
baby.)
“And we read in John 3:16 of when Jesus spoke of a life that never ended (read John 3:16 directly from the
Bible): ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not
die but will have eternal life.’ (NIrV) You may ask, as many others have before you, ‘Live forever—how is that
even possible?’ (Assistant ‘draws’ the cross or flips over the poster board.)
“Everywhere Jesus went, people listened, but they were often confused. Even Jesus’ closest friends, the
disciples, had questions. One evening, Jesus gathered them together to eat the Passover meal. Here’s what
He had to say (read John 14:2-4): There are many rooms in my Father’s house. If this were not true, I would
have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. If I go and do that, I will come back. And I will take
you to be with me. Then you will also be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.’
(Assistant ‘draws’ the house/mansion or flips over poster board.)
“The disciples were especially confused on that last part. They didn’t know the place. In all their travels, they’d
never visited a fancy mansion with Jesus. I mean, surely they’d remember if that had happened, right?!
Thomas finally spoke up and said (read John 14:5), ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going. So how can we
know the way?’ (NIrV) Jesus answered Thomas’ question, but His answer just led to more questions. Jesus
said (read John 14:6) ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’
(NIrV) So now the disciples were thinking, ‘Does Jesus mean that God is His Father?!’
“But Jesus had even more confusing news to share. He said (read John 14:28-29 directly from the Bible), ‘You
heard me say, “I am going away. And I am coming back to you.” If you loved me, you would be glad I am going
to the Father. The Father is greater than I am. I have told you now before it happens. Then when it does
happen, you will believe.’ (NIrV)
“Jesus was trying to get His disciples ready. He wanted them to understand all that was about to happen. But
they didn’t seem to be getting it. Jesus knew that when everything happened that God had planned, His
disciples would look back on His words, and then it would all make sense.
“But what WAS it that was about to go down? What was about to happen that Jesus felt it was so important to
prepare His disciples for?
Assistant exits quietly.
JESUS WAS ARRESTED AND KILLED
LEADER: “Well, that very evening, Jesus was arrested.
SFX: Clinking swords and shouts (optional)
“And the disciples ran away.
SFX: Running footsteps (optional)
“Jesus was put on trial and accused by people who lied about Him. He was brought before the Roman
governor, Pilate, who decided Jesus’ punishment would be to die. The crowd shouted, ‘Crucify him! Crucify
him!’ So, the soldiers dragged Jesus to a hill outside of the city and nailed Him to a rough wooden cross.
SFX: Pounding (optional)
“They even jabbed a sharp spear into His side. His last words were (open Bible and read John 19:30), ‘It is
finished!’ (NIrV)
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252 Groups
March 2013, Week 5
K-5 Compact
“When Jesus died, His friends felt hopeless and alone. Desperate and unsure.
Start turning the symbol paintings over so that they are not seen.
In doing so, you will emphasize the fact that when Jesus died, it
brought everything He said into question.
“They probably wondered what in the world was going on—and what did it even matter what Jesus had said
about eternal life if He was dead?!
Lights off
JESUS WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD
LEADER: “But early on the third morning after Jesus’ death, Mary Magdalene appeared at the home where the
disciples were staying.
SFX: Knocking (optional)
Lights gradually coming back up
“She told them the tomb was empty, but she had seen Jesus! He was alive, and He spoke to her! The disciples
may have wondered if Mary was telling the truth, or if she was crazy, but they didn’t have to wonder long,
because soon after, Jesus showed up where they were hiding behind locked doors, afraid they would be next
to be arrested and put to death. Jesus came in and spoke calmly to the disciples, but one disciple was missing:
Thomas. When the other disciples told them that they had seen Jesus, Thomas didn’t believe it. (Pick up the
Bible again and read directly from John 20:25.) He said, ‘First I must see the nail marks in his hands. I must put
my finger where the nails were. I must put my hand into his side. Only then will I believe what you say.’ (NIrV)
“Thomas had a full week to think about what the disciples told him had happened. No doubt he must have
thought about it a lot. He probably realized what was at stake: that if Jesus really were alive, everything else
that Jesus had said would now make sense! It would mean that God really was Jesus’ Father! And that God
had raised Him back to life. And that Jesus was on the way to God Himself!
THOMAS FINALLY SAW JESUS
LEADER: “After that week had passed—likely the longest of Thomas’ life—all of his questions were answered,
as Jesus once again appeared to the disciples—this time while Thomas was there. Once again, the doors
were locked tight.
SFX: Door slam and lock (optional)
“Yet somehow, Jesus came in and walked among the disciples. He said, ‘May peace be with you!’ and then He
had words directly for Thomas. (Read John 20:27 directly from the Bible.) ‘Put your finger here. See my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ (NIrV)
“Thomas had only one response. ‘My Lord and my God!,’ he exclaimed. And what else could you say if you
saw Jesus, whom just a week earlier you had seen killed, now alive and walking around. In that one sentence,
Thomas was saying he believed. He believed that Jesus was who He said He was. He believed everything that
Jesus had ever said.
“But Jesus had one more thing to say to Thomas. (Read John 20:29 directly from the Bible.) ‘Because you
have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen me but still have believed.’ (NIrV)
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252 Groups
March 2013, Week 5
K-5 Compact
WRAPPING UP THE STORY
LEADER: “I imagine that Thomas could barely keep himself from shouting out with joy. There was no denying
that God had brought Jesus back from the dead. The things He had spoken that seemed confusing, now
began to make sense.
Lights off
Slowly turn the paintings back to face the kids. Dim the lights once
more and turn on the black light so the paintings are clearly
“revealed.” You can show them one by one if you only have one
black light to work with.
“They were all true, and now His followers—and everyone who believes—has the chance to live with Him
forever. But it took Jesus’ death and resurrection for everything to be revealed. Before there could be light,
there had to be … dark.
“When Jesus died, the disciples must have felt confused and scared, like they were walking around in the dark.
But even in that hard time, hope wasn’t gone. The disciples remembered all that Jesus told them. (Point to the
symbols as you explain the significance.) When Jesus said that we would have to be born again in order to see
heaven (point to the baby), He said that because we are all sinners. Unless we get a do-over, we have no
chance of seeing heaven. But it doesn’t end there. Because when Jesus said, ‘God loved the world so much
that he gave his one and only Son,’ Jesus was talking about Himself, and how He had come to die for our sins.
(Point to the cross.) And that when we believe that, it explains what Jesus meant when He said that He was
going to prepare a room for us in His Father’s house—it means we can live with God forever! (Point to the
house.)
“In other words, if we believe that we are sinners in need of a do-over—to be born again (point to the baby
again)—and that Jesus came to die for our sins (point to the cross again), we can receive the gift of life with
Jesus, which will last forever! (Point to the house again.)
“Everything that Jesus ever said when He was on earth, makes sense when we believe that He really did come
alive from the dead! [Impress] When Jesus came back from the dead, it proved what He said was true.
CG: Bottom Line Slide
LEADER: “And you know, just like Jesus said, Thomas believed because He could SEE Jesus. He could see
the scars in Jesus’ hands and feet, and the hole in His side where the sword had pierced Him. So, believing
that all of these things that Jesus said were true wasn’t so hard for Thomas after he saw Jesus. But what about
you and me? After all, we don’t get to see or touch Jesus like that.
Lights up
“Now that the lights are up, we can’t see those images—the baby, the cross, and the house—very clearly
anymore, can we? But do we know they’re still there? Yes! Even though we can’t see Jesus, we can still have
faith and know that He is there. We can believe because God allowed others to share their stories of faith with
us in the Bible. And we know that God still talks to us and works in our lives today. Even if it’s hard to see or
remember sometimes, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s true. And Jesus had great things to say about those of
us who can believe without seeing, didn’t He? Remember what He told Thomas? (Read John 20:29b directly
from the Bible.) ‘Blessed are those who have not seen me but still have believed.’ (NIrV) It all comes down to
trust, and [Recycle] I know I can trust God no matter what. Let’s pray.”
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252 Groups
March 2013, Week 5
K-5 Compact
Pray
LEADER: “Dear God, sometimes it’s easier than others to really see Your hand at work in the world. But we
know that what we can or can’t see doesn’t change what is really true. The more we can’t see, the more we
have to trust. And we do trust You, God. Thank You for knowing what our biggest need was, and for sending
Your Son to die and pay the penalty for our sins. Please help us all to believe, no matter what we can actually
see. In Your name we pray. Amen.”
Assistant enters as Leader exits.
Closer
ASSISTANT: “Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. And three days later, He came back to life. Jesus
defeated sin, He defeated death, and He made a way for us to have a relationship with God. That’s huge! And
not only that, but when Jesus came back from the dead, it made the stuff He said before He died a lot clearer.
Like when He said, ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in
him will not die but will have eternal life.’ If anyone else told me I could live forever, I’d say they were crazy, but
Jesus showed us that not only does He tell the truth, but that He IS the truth. And if Jesus is the truth, then we
can trust what He says to be true. We can have eternal life if we believe in Jesus, just like He said. Everything
Jesus said was true. Even the things that may seem hard to understand. All of His lessons, all of His wisdom,
and all of His promises are the honest-to-goodness gospel truth.
“Here’s the one thing to remember today, [Impress] when Jesus came back from the dead, it proved what
He said was true.
CG: Bottom Line Slide
“Can you guys say that with me?”
ASSISTANT and KIDS: [Impress] “When Jesus came back from the dead, it proved what He said was
true.”
ASSISTANT: “Jesus is alive, and we CAN tell Him all those things and more! In fact, that’s exactly what we’re
doing when we sing songs of worship to Him. Jesus is alive, and that’s worth celebrating. Let’s get the party
started in here!”
Pass out kazoos and party hats and any other celebratory items.
You can stay out on stage to worship (or jump in the crowd to
celebrate with the kids).
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