BIG IDEA: GOD IS SON
AIM: This lesson is aimed at helping children understand and recognise that Jesus is God’s Son and that He came to save the world!
SONG and BIBLE STORY VIDEO IDEAS available via our dedicated Pinterest Board.
GAME IDEAS:
SHUFFLE THE COOKIE – 5 mins
Description: One on one game
Supplies: (regular/widescreen) cookies
Details: Children place a cookie on their forehead and must try and shuffle it into their mouth. This can be played with the child standing, or laying on the floor. The child to do this first without touching the cookie with their hand is the winner.
BABY RATTLE – 5 MINS
Description: Minute to win it game
Supplies: (regular/widescreen) Two bottles taped together by their nozzle with lots of gumballs inside (the same amount are needed per taped bottle). You will need at least one per player (can play with two each).
Details: The rattles start on the tables with the gumballs all resting in the bottom bottle. The children pick the bottles up and must shake the gumballs upside down until they all enter the opposite bottle/s. The first player to do this the fastest is the winner.
CUP STACKING GAME – 10 MINS
Description: one on one or team game
Supplies: (regular/widescreen) paper cups
Details: Children race to stack their cups one on top of the other to create the biggest tower. This can be played as a team game with the children relaying to place the cups on top of one another. The winning child/team is the one to have the tallest tower at the end of the time given.
BIG VERSE: God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die but have everlasting life. John 3:16.
(regular/widescreen) Download the Bible cards here (PDF)
SET THE SCENE: 10-15 MINS
Description: Story time
Supplies: Bible or try one of the Bible videos listed on our Pinterest Board.
Details: Read Matthew 3:13-17 or act out then ask a few of the review questions below:
REVIEW QUESTIONS:
- Who did Jesus go to see?
- Why did John not want to baptise Jesus?
- What did Jesus say must happen and why?
- When Jesus was baptised what happened?
- What does this show us about Jesus?
SPOT THE SIMPLE MEANING:
1) JESUS IS GOD’S SON – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 1
Supplies: Printables of animals and their babies (PDF).
Details: One set of printables to be printed and cut out per team. All the printables of animals are on the other end of the room. Children are in teams. Children take turns in a relay to run across to get the images of the animals. Only when they have got every image can they then start matching them up to find the adult and child. The team that matches all the adult animals and their children first is the winning team.
Say: Have you ever seen an animal with its baby? It is super cute, right? You can watch as the grown animal is caring for and protecting their baby. [Show video clip]
Jesus’ baptism shows us that God loves Jesus. He was pleased with who He was on earth and all that He did. That’s why His voice came from heaven and His voice said in front of everyone that Jesus was His Son in whom He was “well pleased.”
John 3:16 in the Bible tells us that “God so loved the world that He sent His only Son.” His only Son is Jesus! The Bible shows us very clearly that Jesus is God’s Son!
2) JESUS PERFORMS MIRACLES – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 2
Supplies: images of the miracles Jesus performed (keynote/pptx/PDF)
Details:
Say: Jesus didn’t live an ordinary life, in many ways. He showed us what it means to truly live for God and to let God work in and through you. Jesus performed many many miracles. These are signs to us that Jesus is God’s Son. They showed the people, at the time, that Jesus was who He said he was.
[Show some of the miracle pictures that you’ve detected and invite the children to shout out which miracles they are]
These miracles weren’t tricks or magic. They were real things that happened to and with real people. They changed people’s lives. Jesus healed the sick, made the blind see, he helped those that could not walk to leap, He made the storm stop, He multiplied food He made for one to feed five thousand, brought dead people back to life. Jesus performed many many miracles! They are recorded in the Bible for us to know about them and to share them with others.
3) JESUS CAME TO SAVE THE WORLD – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 3
Supplies: superhero action figure/s or wear a superhero costume
Details:
Say: John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world He sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but will have everlasting life.” That means that God has a Son and His name is Jesus. Jesus was sent to the world so that we might know God and that we might live with God forever.
Have you ever seen a superhero movie, such as Superman, where the person is sent to save the world? [Show your superhero toy if you have one] Jesus is just like a superhero. In fact, He is the best kind of superhero!
Jesus was sent to the world to save the world. God sent His Son with a purpose. John the Baptist didn’t want to baptise Jesus… he didn’t think he was good enough to do it. He knew that Jesus was special. Jesus never did anything wrong. Baptism was done so that people could be wiped clean from the wrong things they had done.
The Bible tells us that when we think, say or do wrong things, this is called sin. Jesus never sinned. Yet He was baptised to show us how to live. He was God – God’s Son – and He lived a perfect life, doing everything right, so that we might learn how to live like Him.
Jesus came to live a perfect life and to die a perfect death. Why? So that we might live with God forever. Sin stops us from spending time with God. The Bible says that we need to be forgiven of our sin to spend eternity with Him. It also says that the punishment for the wrong things we say, think and do is death. So Jesus came to die so that we can be forgiven and live forever with God. Jesus came to save us from our sin!
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES:
SUPER SECRET: WHO IS JESUS? – 10 MINS
Description: Team Game
Supplies: Names of Jesus printable (PDF), scissors, markers, envelopes
Details: Children go around the room finding the titles about Jesus.
Put all the words about Jesus in envelopes titled ‘Confidential’ ‘Super Secret’ ‘Secret’ and ‘Top Secret’. Children go around the room looking for these top secret words. You can have one set per team. The team to find them the quickest is the winning team. You can use as little or as many names for Jesus (there are lots more) but these are some of our suggestions:
- Son of God.
- Savior of the World.
- Light of the World
- Bread of Life
- Way, Truth and Life
- True Vine
- Resurrection and the Life
- Good Shepherd
- Lord
- 10.Master
- 11.Emmanuel
- 12.Teacher
- 13.Lamb of God
- 14. Son of Man
- 15. Christ
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- Who is Jesus to you?
- What has Jesus done for you?
- What is the best thing about Jesus?
SENSE HOW YOU FEEL – 10 MINS EACH OR IN TANDEM/ROTATION
Encourage the children to think about the questions above as they do one of the activities:
Description: Craft.
Supplies: Jesus’ baptism printable (PDF), scissors, craft knife (could do this part for the children before hand), popsicle stick and tape.
Details: Cut out the individual pieces. Cut through the dotted line with a craft knife (older kids only). Stick the dove to the popsicle stick and poke it through the opening, moving it up and down.
Description: Moulding activity.
Supplies: Playdough or clay.
Details: Mould Jesus being baptised by John.
Description: Building activity.
Supplies: Lego or construction toys.
Details: Build the scene of Jesus being baptised.
Description: Sensory activity.
Supplies: Water play: water in a tub, spouts, jugs, bottles etc.
Details: Play with the water as you think of how Jesus was baptised and what God the Father spoke over him.
Description: Activity Booklets.
Supplies: 5-7s (PDF) and 8-11s booklets (PDF), markers.
Details: Fill in or color the 5-7s and 8-11s booklets
SEEK GOD: 5 MINS
Description: Prayer activity
Supplies: No supplies needed.
Details:
Say: We can know Jesus as God’s Son and we can ask Him to be our God. Would anyone like to do that today? [Get feedback]
Pray: Thank you Jesus that You are God’s Son and that you came to the world to show us what God is like. Thank You that You came to the world to save us and forgive us. Help us to live more like You! Amen.
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