'Jesus Rocks!' Sunday School Lesson (Matthew 21:1-11) • MinistryArk

BIG IDEA: WE WERE MADE TO WORSHIP JESUS

AIM: The ‘Jesus Rocks’ Sunday School lesson is great for getting your children to think about how amazing Jesus is and all that he has done. It will help them to think about why they want to do their best and put him first in their lives – why they want to worship him!

FUN INTRO VIDEO:

JESUS ROCKS: This Parody of Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake it off’ is a fun start to your lesson.

SONG IDEAS:

1. ‘Limitless’ by Shout Praises Kids: Planetshakers Kids

2. ‘The Anthem’ by Shout Praises Kids

3. ‘Fandabidozzie’ by Doug Horley

GAME IDEAS:

1. The Great Air Guitar contest. Pop on some of your favorite kids music and ask your contestants to play their air guitars. The winning player will be the player that the other kids choose to be the winner… or judge it for yourself!

2. It’s Gurgle Time! Children take turns in teams to gurgle different tunes. The rest of the team must guess what song they are gurgling. The team to finish gurgling and identifying all their tunes first is the winning team!

3. Tap That Beat. A leader taps a beat on their leg and the contestants must take turns to copy one of the beats. If they fail to tap the correct beat then they are eliminated from the game. The player left tapping is the winner.

4. Sing It! A battle between teams to see who can sing the best in a karaoke challenge. Choose the music you want to use and have a judge that judges the winning team.

BIG VERSE: “I tell you,” he [Jesus] replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:40.

SET the Scene:

Read Matthew 21:1-11. This passage speaks of Jesus entering Jerusalem a week before the Passover as the people lay down their coats and waved palm branches to greet him.

VIDEO IDEAS:

1. A fun animation for children

2. There are few words in this English portrayal of the Triumphant Entry.

3. Jesus enters on a donkey in this older movie clip.

4. English children are portrayed acting the scene of Jesus entering Jerusalem.

SPOT the Simple Meaning:

1. OBJECT LESSON: JESUS ROCKS

You will need to prepare a short testimony for this section and possibly some photos of yourself or of what Jesus has done.

Say: Every time I say the words ‘Jesus Rocks’ I want you to make this crazy rocking chair movement! [show movement.] That’s because there is a different way to understand the word ‘rock.’ Just as a rocking chair rocks from side to side, it changes things from going one way to another way. Only a rocking chair is a bit slow and a bit boring. Jesus is none of those things! Jesus completely changed and impacted the whole world! He rocks the world, changing it in exciting and awesome ways!

The bible says that Jesus is God. In Matthew 1:23 he is called ‘Emmanuel’ which means ‘God with us.’ That also means without Jesus nothing would be made! He holds everything together. ‘Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that had been made.’ John 1:3. Jesus completely changed the world! Jesus Rocks! He is the Savior, the one who would come and save the world. He brought God’s forgiveness in a new and radical way into the world so that we can know and be friends with God. Jesus Rocks! When he lived on the earth as a man Jesus went around healing people. Imagine that! One minute you’re in pain, the next minute you feel great! The people loved Jesus because he loved them no matter who they were. That’s because Jesus Rocks! He didn’t just love those that were easy to love but he loved people that were even his enemies!

Our passage today shows us that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. It was a week before he was going to die for everyone’s sins. He was going to die so that we don’t have to be separated from God for forever. That’s because Jesus Rocks! He didn’t even come into the town in a fancy way, on a horse or with a big carriage. He came on a donkey. He was the king of Kings and God yet he chose to come into the crowd riding on a donkey. Jesus Rocks!

Jesus changed the world by bringing in a new way to live. He changed the world one life at a time. Jesus Rocks! I know that He has rocked my world and completely changed my life (give a little example or testimony – could use pictures of person if that helps – doesn’t have to be an amazing earth shattering story – lots of the children won’t have that kind of a story. It just has to be real.) So that’s why I know that Jesus Rocks! He has changed my life, making it way better than it ever was before!

Has Jesus rocked your world? Has he changed your life? Or do you want him to?

2. OBJECT LESSON: YOU WERE BORN TO ROCK!

Say: Every time I say the words ‘You were Born to Rock’ I want you to make a movement like you are playing a rock guitar [show movement]. Why? Because there’s another type of ‘rock’ and that’s when we ‘rock out’ to music! It means absolutely going for it and not holding back! giving everything you’ve got!

The people that watched as Jesus came into town were so excited that they threw down all their coats and waved palm branches. They didn’t have banners or big sound systems to tell him how much they loved him so they used their voices instead! They knew they wanted to give Jesus everything they had. They didn’t want to hold back. That’s the same for us, God doesn’t want us to hold back in telling Him that we love Him! That’s because You were Born to Rock! You were born to WORSHIP! You were born to use everything you have for Jesus! If you don’t then Jesus says, the rocks will! (Luke 19:40) That’s right, stones will start crying out if you won’t! I want to show you a quick video of someone really rocking it out, someone that was definitely born to Rock! Just like you were born to rock!

Show this (or part of this) video of Marty rocking it out in Back to the Future.

Marty really rocked out in that video didn’t he! He didn’t care what anyone thought of him, he just loved rocking it out! Just like Marty, you were born to rock! You were born to worship Jesus with everything you have, doing your best and giving Him your all. If Jesus has changed your world and life then you will want to rock out for Him!

That might be by helping others to the best you can, doing your homework or schoolwork to the best you can, tidying your room or playing football. When we’re in church and singing, we can give our best to Jesus! Give Him all you’ve got. Because you were born to rock! You were born to worship Jesus! Don’t let the rocks do your job for you. Give Jesus everything you’ve got!

Are you gonna let the rocks cry out or are you gonna rock for God?

SEARCH the Scriptures:

Jesus Rocks Because…

THE GREAT GOSPEL CHALLENGE TEAM GAME.

Give each team a buzzer or something that makes a sound (like a bicycle bell). Teams compete to see who can answer the questions about Jesus the fastest and why he rocks.

1. Jesus fed the 5000 with ________? [5 loaves and 2 fish]

2. Jesus healed a man’s ______ after Simon Peter cut it off? [Ear]

3. Pilate had the name __________ written on top of Jesus’ cross? [King of the Jews]

4. Jesus raised _________ brother from the dead. [Mary and Martha’s]

5. Jesus saw _________ in a tree and invited himself around to their house. [Zacchaeus]

6. Jesus walked on __________ to get to the disciples in their boat. [Water]

7. Jesus drove the demons out of a man and into _________. [Pigs]

8. Jesus was able to calm the _________ after the disciples awoke him from sleeping in the boat. [Storm: wind and waves]

9. Jesus taught ________ which were stories that help us to understand more about God. [Parables]

10. After 3 days Jesus _______ from the dead. [Rose]

BONUS QUESTION FOR A TIE ROUND:

11. Jesus made _________ appear from the mouth of a fish so that they could pay their taxes. [a coin, money: Matthew 17:27]

SENSE How You Feel:

Say: Imagine you are a person in the crowd getting ready for Jesus entering Jerusalem.

How are you feeling?

What are you thinking?

Why are you there?

CRAFT IDEAS:

1. MASKS: Have the children create a mask out of a paper plate to show how they would feel. They can use wool and different types of paper and card. You will also need elastic and a hole punch to help it stay on their heads.

2. FOAM PEOPLE: Tell the children you are making foam people to help them think about how the people waiting for Jesus might have felt. Use pre-made foam people cut outs to stick buttons, pom poms, sequins and pieces of felt on them. Ask the children to consider what this person might have been thinking and feeling as they waited for Jesus.

3. PALM BRANCHES: There are a number of different ways that a palm branch can be used. Help the children to make a palm branch as you ask them to think about why, if they were welcoming Jesus, they would choose to wave a palm branch, shout ‘Hosanna’ and put their coats down as he arrived.

4. GUITARS: Make mini guitars using tissue boxes, elastic bands and paint or stickers. Ask the children to consider how the people didn’t have any musical instruments but used their voices to shout about how great Jesus is. Pose the question, ‘Why did they want to shout?’ then ask ‘Do you want to shout about how great Jesus is? Why/why not?’

Check out some of our craft ideas on our Pinterest page.

SEEK God:

PRAYER IDEAS:

1. POPCORN PRAYERS: Popcorn prayers are short prayers to God. Tell the children that you are going to begin the prayer time by saying:

‘Thank you Jesus that you rock because…’

Ask the children to shout out or say the things that they want to thank Jesus for being or doing for them. See if they can keep it going for a while, and then when everyone has finished say, ‘Jesus, for all these things we thank you and we say that YOU ROCK! Amen.’

2. PRAYER GUITARS: Make a guitar template with the words ‘Jesus Rocks because…’ on them for the children to write or draw their answers on. Ask them to use the guitars as a reminder that Jesus rocks and to always thank him for everything that he has done for them!

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