Aim: The ‘Marriage at Cana’ Children’s Lesson on John 1:32-2:11 encourages children to expect to see and experience miracles in their lives.
Main Idea: WE CAN EXPECT MIRACLES
Suggested Schedule: (90 mins)
- Welcome (5 mins)
- Game 1(5mins)
- Review Big Verse (5 mins)
- Set the Scene: Bible story/skit 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 can use lots of different video game logos and designs. You could also have some video games around the room for children to play before and after the lesson.
Supplies:
- Bible/s
- tubs of water, cups, water, jugs
- toilet rolls
- superhero video game or a video game with a strong character
- Minecraft game to play together or similar world building game such as Sims or Animal Crossing.
- Coloring pens
- Pintables:
- Playdough 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 TOILET ROLL BRIDE – 5 mins
Description: team game
Supplies: toilet rolls
Details: Players compete to dress someone as a bride using only toilet roll. Then everyone votes on a winner. Alternatively children play in teams and the leader announces the best bride.
GAME 2 WATER CUP RELAY – 5 MINS
Description: relay race
Supplies: tubs of water, cups, water, jugs
Details: Children must race with cups of water from their tubs of water to the opposite side of the room where they put the water into the jug. The team with the most water in their jug at the end is the winning team.
GAME 3 WATER CUP BACK PASS – 10 MINS
Description: team game
Supplies: cups, water
Details: Children sit down in teams in lines. The front child in each team is given a cup full of water. They must pass it backwards over their heads to the person behind. The team that passes the water to the back of the line the fastest is the winning team.
BIG VERSE: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” Colossians 3:23.
SET THE SCENE: 10-15 MINS
Description: Bible story and questions
Supplies: Bible (also check Bible story videos on Pinterest)
Details: Read John 1:32-2:11.
REVIEW QUESTIONS:
- Where was the wedding? (v1)
- Who was invited? (v1-2)
- What did Mary say to Jesus? (v3)
- How did Jesus reply? (v4)
- What did Mary say to the servants? (v5)
- How much did the 6 jars hold? (v6)
- Who enjoyed tasting the wine? (v9)
- What did he say to the bridegroom? (v10)
SPOT THE SIMPLE MEANING:
1) MARY EXPECTED A MIRACLE- 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 1
Supplies: Play a superhero video game or a video game with a strong character that people know their capabilities.
Alternatively show an image of a famous person or superhero and list their skills. Then ask if the children are shocked by what they can do.
Details:
Say: Isn’t it amazing how you could use those super powers in that game? Were you shocked or surprised you could do that? I’m guessing not. Why? Because that is the character. That’s who they are. So you expect them to be able to do those things… that’s just normal.
Mary wasn’t shocked at what Jesus could do. She knew who Jesus was., Mary knew what the angel had told her about Jesus. She knew Jesus was the Son of God; the Messiah and Savior of the World. She expected that he could do anything. Even though this was his first miracle, Mary expected Jesus could help – that he could do a miracle if and when one was needed. Mary knew her son. She knew what He was able to do because she had faith in Him – she believed He could do anything. She expected Him to do whatever was needed to help.
Do you know Jesus? Do you know that He loves you and He created you to do great things in and through Him.
2) THE SERVANTS OBEYED – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 2
Supplies:
Details: Play a video game where you must obey all the instructions or you lose.
Say: What happens if you don’t follow the instructions or the rules of the game in these games:
Tetris
Mario
Pacman
To obey means to do what you’re asked to do. When you play a game you can choose to obey the rules of the game or to cheat and play your own way. When you don’t follow the rules, when you don’t obey the rules you can end up losing the game or winning in the wrong way.
The servants decided that the best thing that they could do at the wedding banquet was to listen to Jesus and do what He asked them to do. They decided to obey Jesus because they expected that He could and would help them. Without Jesus they knew that they had no wine and no hope: they would probably lose their job for not providing the wedding guests with any wine.
Yet it would have been scary to serve the water. As they poured the water turned into wine. The servants had to obey Jesus even when it looked like what they were pouring was going to be water. They did what Jesus said even when it didn’t seem to make sense. They chose to obey – and Jesus did a miracle!
Do you obey God knowing that He will help you?
3) I CAN EXPECT MIRACLES IN MY WORLD – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 3
Supplies: Minecraft game to play together or similar world building game such as Sims or Animal Crossing.
Details:
Say: Mary expected a miracle because she knew who Jesus was. The servants hoped for a miracle and obeyed.
I can do both! I can expect miracles because I know who Jesus is – He is my God and the One that saves me. I can obey Him and put my hope in Him. In the video game, we could explore and create a new place. It wasn’t a shock to us because that is what the game is all about – it’s about making something amazing and believing for a better place.
When we know who Jesus is and we believe in all that He says and what He has called us to do, we can expect to see miracles in our world. We can expect that God is going to do incredible things and create wonderful things in and through us. We can expect God to transform our world.
Jesus completely transformed the marriage ceremony. Everyone expected the worst wine to come last. Yet Jesus provided the best wine. He totally changed things around. He is able to do that in our world when we let Him move in and through us. When we expect miracles we will start to see them because our God is the God of miracles. All we have to do is listen and obey and do what He is calling us to do and we will see miracles in our world.
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES:
BIBLE STORY STAR RACE – 10 MINS
Description: Team or individual game
Supplies: Bible story stars
Details: Children race around the room grabbing stars with Bible stories on them to bring back to the team who will help to find them in the Bible.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- What miracles do you know from the Bible?
- What do miracles show you about God?
SENSE HOW YOU FEEL – 10 MINS EACH OR IN TANDEM/ROTATION
Imagine you are Mary or one of the servants.
How did you feel when you saw Jesus turn the water into wine?
Encourage the children to think about the question above as they do one of the activities:
Description: Craft.
Supplies: coloring pencils, glue and jug craft templates.
Details: Children color and cut out the jugs and stick them to the paper one on top of the other so that they are able to be flicked through.
Description: Moulding activity.
Supplies: Play dough or clay.
Details: Mould the jugs of water or the wedding/party scene.
Description: Building activity.
Supplies: Lego or construction toys.
Details: Build the wedding or wedding banquet scene.
Description: Sensory activity.
Supplies: wedding photos and items
Details: Place the wedding photos and items on a table for the children to take a look through.
Description: Coloring sheets.
Supplies: 5-7s coloring sheet (included in download), markers.
Details: Fill in or color the sheets.
SEEK GOD: 5 MINS
Description: Prayer/Encounter activity
Supplies: no supplies needed
Details: Ask the children to stand. Play some quiet music in the background
Invite the children to search their hearts about what they expect God to do in and through them. Ask them to place their hand on their heart as they pray and ask God to help them to expect good things.
Prayer:
Thank You God that we can always expect a miracle with You. Thank You that we can obey You and know that You are willing and wanting to help us. Please help us to expect that You are going to do great things in and through us too. Amen.
