GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE LESSON: This lesson is the second lesson in the Color Burst! Easter teaching series.
Main Idea:JESUS WAS WILLING TO GIVE HIS LIFE
Suggested Schedule: (90 mins)
- Welcome (5 mins)
- Game 1 (5mins)
- Review Big Verse (5 mins)
- Set the Scene: Bible story and review questions (10-15 mins)
- Object Lesson 1 talk (5mins)
- Game 2 (5 mins)
- Object Lesson 2 talk (5 mins)
- Game 3 (5 mins)
- Object Lesson 3 talk (10 mins)
- Game (5 mins)
- Sense How You Feel – activity (10 – 25 mins)
- Seek God – prayer (5 mins)
Setting the Stage: To set the stage for this series you will want to use lots of brightly coloured items such as balloons.
Supplies:
- optional chairs for sitting, marker and paper
- potted plants or fake green grass or access to an outdoor space
- Coloring pens
- All Printables
- Play dough or clay
- Lego or construction toys
- All PowerPoint games with some way of showing them (i.e. laptop and screen)
SONG and BIBLE STORY VIDEO IDEAS available via our dedicated Pinterest Board
GAME IDEAS:
GAME 1 GUESS WHO? – 5 mins
Description: team game
Supplies: optional chairs for sitting, marker and paper
Details: [Played like the board game.] Create two teams standing in rows. One player from each team writes a name down of one of their team members. Each player must try and guess their opponent’s written down name. These players ask yes or no questions (i.e. does he have black hair?). [To make it more interesting have different members of the team ask the opposition]. Any one not fitting the description sit down until the the player guesses who. The team that picks the right person is the winning team and the game is started again.
GAME 2 SPLAT! – 5 MINS
Description: circle game, everyone in game
Supplies: no supplies needed
Details: Everyone stands in a circle with one player in the middle. The middle player spins round and, at random, points to someone and shouts ‘splat!’ That person ducks down. Those on either side of that player point at each other and shout ‘splat!’The last person to shout ‘splat!’ Is eliminated and sits down. Anyone that says ‘splat!’ Out of turn is also eliminated. Once there are two players remaining they stand 2m apart, back to back, and when the leader signals, they walk away from each other.When the leader shouts ‘splat!’ those two players turn and shout ‘splat!’ at each other. The first to shout is the winner.
GAME 3 FLOWER ISLANDS – 5 MINS
Description: everyone in game
Supplies: Flower printables (1,2,3,4)
Details: Players dance around the flowers until the music stops and they must jump on a flower. Any players not on a flower when the music stops is eliminated. A flower is then removed and the game starts again. This keeps going until there is only one player left standing; the winner.
BIG VERSE: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3.
SET THE SCENE: 10-15 MINS
Description: Bible story and questions
Supplies: Bible
Details: Read Matthew 26:36-56
REVIEW QUESTIONS:
- Where did Jesus go?
- What did Jesus ask His disciples to do?
- Who did Jesus take with Him?
- How was Jesus feeling?
- What did Jesus pray?
- How many times did Jesus pray?
- What were the disciples doing when Jesus was praying?
SPOT THE SIMPLE MEANING:
1) GREEN MEANS – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 1
Supplies: Lots of green things or show the green things PowerPoint slide.
Details:
Say: What green things can you think of? [get feedback] Many of these things are living: plants, grass, trees. That’s why green symbolises life. Whenever you think about the color green it makes you think of all the wonderful living things that are green. The Garden of Gethsemane should have been a beautiful picture of life. A garden is green after all. Yet unlike the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve were made this was a place where something was about to be destroyed.
2) JESUS WAS WILLING TO GIVE HIS LIFE – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 2
Supplies: Bring in an item that you love very much.
Details:
Say: How much are you willing to give up for someone else? What is your favourite toy? [Get feedback] Would you give a stranger your favourite toy? [Show the children your item] I love this very much… but it would be difficult for me to give it away.
The Garden of Gethsemane was where Jesus offered His life. He was ready to give His whole life for His people! That’s much more important than a toy! Yet Jesus was willing to give it away. Jesus went into the garden to pray to His Father. He knew that he was about to be killed.
Jesus was full of sorrow at this point. He was so sad and felt overwhelmed. That’s why He prays and asks if God can take “this cup” from Him. He is asking if there is any other way that He can save His people. Jesus prays this three times. He keeps going back to the garden to pray. That’s how sad Jesus was at the thought of what was about to happen to Him.Yet Jesus knew that what was about to happen was the only way to save God’s people.
Jesus was willing to give His life. That’s why He says “may your will be done” (v42). He wants to do His Father’s will, just as He always has.
When Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss Jesus doesn’t seem to get angry or annoyed. He simply says “Do what you came for, friend.” Judas had been paid to betray Jesus. Jesus had told Judas this would happen. Yet now He calls Him friend. Why? Because Jesus knew what He had come to do. He says “this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled” (v54) Jesus knew that what was happening was all part of God’s plan.
Jesus was willing to give His life… and this is where it all began; with Jesus’ arrest.
3) JESUS CALLS US TO GIVE OUR LIVES – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 3
Supplies: a toy, an item of clothing, sports item of your choice and a photo of friends and family.
Details:
Say:
Just as Jesus gave up His life for us, He calls us to do the same. In Matthew 16:14 Jesus says; Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Jesus wants us to put Him first in our lives; that means putting our own wants and desires second to what God wants for us.
Our lives are made up of so many things; we have so much! We have toys [show toy] clothes [show clothes], sports [show a sports item of your choice] friends and family [show photo]. Yet these are not supposed to be more important to us than God.
When Jesus tells us to ‘deny ourselves’ it means that we should be willing to lay down our lives to do what God calls us to do. Jesus knew this which is why He prayed “not my will, but yours” to His Father God in the garden. Jesus was putting God’s desires before his own.
Sometimes what God calls us to do is fun and exciting but at other times it is dangerous and scary. For Jesus he knew this meant dying. That’s why when the disciples were unable to pray for an hour Jesus urged them that they needed to be prepared. Living life with and for Jesus may not always be easy, and comes at great cost, yet it is never boring!
So the challenge for us today is will we make Jesus the Lord of our lives and will we lay our lives down for Him?
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES:
COLOR BURST – 10 MINS
Description: team game
Supplies: Bible verse scriptures, balloons and things to put inside them such as water, flour, slime.
Details: Prepare lots of balloons. Some should have the verses inside – you can make double or triple of the same verses if preferred. You will want to fill some of the balloons with flour or water or slime and keep some of them air filled.
Children are split into teams and must try and win a point for their team. They are then chosen at random and must decide whether they want the balloon to be popped over their own head or someone else’s – from the opposite team. The team with the most Bible verses at the end is the winning team.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- What does it mean to give your life to God?
- Is it easy to give your life to God? Why/why not?
- Why should someone do it?
- Are you glad Jesus gave His life for you? Why/why not?
SENSE HOW YOU FEEL – 10 MINS EACH OR IN TANDEM/ROTATION
Imagine you are in the garden as Jesus is arrested.
How do you feel?
Encourage the children to think about the question above as they do one of the activities:
Description: Garden of Gethsemane Scene Craft
Supplies: Garden of Gethsemane template, scissors, tape, card, markers.
Details: Color and cut out all the pieces of the template, tape each piece in place to make the scene.
Description: Moulding activity.
Supplies: Playdough or clay.
Details: Create the Garden of Gethsemane scene.
Description: Building activity.
Supplies: Lego or construction toys.
Details: Create the garden of Gethsemane scene.
Description: Sensory activity.
Supplies: grass, soil, rocks, tray, items for cleaning the mess afterwards.
Details: Invite the children to feel all the items in the sensory tray as they think about what Jesus has done or have the children walk over each one: grass, soil and then rocks to remind them of the pain Jesus felt leading up to the cross.
Description: Coloring sheet
Supplies: coloring sheet, markers.
Details: Color the sheet
SEEK GOD: 5 MINS
Description: Prayer/Encounter activity
Supplies: potted plants or fake green grass or access to an outdoor space.
Details: Create a garden area of your room. This could be achieved with potted plants or some fake green grass. Alternatively if it is warm and you have access to a garden in your church you could take the children outside.
Say: Is there anything God is calling you to give up? Anything he is asking you to lay down? Come and pray and give those things to God.
Give the children some time to pray for themselves. Don’t try to rush this time, but give the children space to hear and meet with God.
Pray:
Father God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus. Jesus thank You for being willing to give your life for us. Help us to live a life pleasing to You, laying down our own wants and desires to follow You. Thank You that You always have the best plan for us. Amen.
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