‘Tell the Truth’ Childrens Lesson on Joseph (Genesis 39)

BIG IDEA: I CAN TELL THE TRUTH

AIM: The ‘Tell the Truth’ Childrens Lesson on Joseph (Genesis 39) is a lesson by Kidz Klub, Liverpool, England. They have given MinistryArk full permission to give away this resource. Their aim is to reach unchurched children with the gospel and so you will notice this session is written for that purpose – to help children understand the importance of knowing and telling the truth. You can download the ‘Tell the Truth’ PDF here.

SONG IDEAS:

1. ‘The Way, The Truth, The Life’ by KickStart Worship
2. ‘One Way’ by Hillsong Kids
3. ‘We are the Crew’ by Rob Biagi

GAME IDEAS:

Game #1: Ducktastic Relay.

You will need: Your paddling pool set up in the middle of the stage, four fishing nets, lots of ‘rubber ducks’ and two scarves.

Choose two players for each team and tie them three-legged. Each player has a fishing net. One team start from one end of the stage and one from the other. When you say “Go!”, the two teams run to the paddling pool and fish for a duck. They then run back to their side of the stage and place the ducks on a tray or table, before going back to fish for more. The winners are the team to have caught the most ducks when the whistle goes.

One of the team captains suggests that you could have roast duck for dinner. No, that’s tight; you can’t eat cute little ducks! Cabin boy/girl comes on with some baby octopus. (You can buy them from good fish mongers or the deli counter in some super markets) Show the kids the eyes and tentacles. Does anyone dare to eat them?

Game #2: Octopus Eating

You will need: Twelve baby octopus, tomato ketchup, some string and two broom handles.

Suspend six octopus from each broom handle, using string and smear them in tomato ketchup. The team captains hold the broom handles horizontally at the front of the stage, so the octopus are dangling at head height. Choose two players from each team. They stand behind the octopus and when you say “Go!”, have to suck the tomato ketchup from as many octopus as possible. The winners are the team to have “cleaned up” the most octopus when the whistle goes.

At the end of the game, one of the team captains could eat an octopus whole or bite it’s head off, with much “uuuurrrghing” from the teams.

Game #3: Paddling Pool Pile In

You will need: A large paddling pool!

This is a timed game, so the teams play one at a time. When you say“Go!”, a helper runs through the team, tapping kids who’ve coloured their memory verses. They run to the stage, take their shoes and socks off and get in the paddling pool. You might want a helper positioned by the pool to stop them slipping as they get in. Blow the whistle after 60 or 90 seconds and count how many kids are in the pool. (Ideally leave enough time for the pool to be pretty full) The winners are the team who got the most kids in the pool in the time allotted. To make the game run more smoothly, you could get all the kids who’d like to play to take their shoes and socks off before the game starts, so they’re ready to jump in.

PANTO/SKIT:

Gonzo comes on closely followed by Hook, who chases him around the stage. The team captains get a net and manage to trap Hook. Great, now you’ve got him, you’re going to dunk him. This will sort him out once and for all! He won’t be coming back.

Game #4: Hook Dunking

You will need: A large paddling pool, again!

Again, this is a timed game, so one team plays first and then the other. Choose four kids from each team. When you say “Go!” the four players, helped by a couple of adult helpers, pick Hook up by his arms and legs, run him to the paddling pool and dunk him in. Depending on the size of your hall, you might want them to carry Hook from the back of the room to the front, before dunking him, or around some obstacles on the stage. The winners are the team who dunk him in the quickest time.

At the end of the game, as Hook staggers from the paddling pool, he leaves his sword behind. You pick it up. Great, now you’ve got his sword he won’t be able to get you. You need to guard it carefully until next week.

BIG VERSE: Stop lying, start telling the truth. Ephesians 4:25.

 

SET the Scene:

In last week’s Bible Lesson, we saw how Joseph’s brothers ganged up on him and sold him to be a slave in Egypt. Well the bible says that Joseph was sent to work in the house of a man called Potiphar. Potiphar was a good man and before long, he could see how hard Joseph was working. First of all he put him in charge of the cleaning, then the gardening, then the house and finally his whole business. God blessed Joseph and helped him to do well in all the work he was given. But once again, trouble started to come his way.

What happened was this. Potiphar’s wife started to watch Joseph around the house. She could see how strong and handsome he was and the more she watched him, the more she started to fancy him. Now you need to remember that she was married, so for her to make a move on Joseph was wrong. But that didn’t stop her. One day when it was only her and Joseph in the house, she grabbed him and tried to kiss him. Joseph pulled away from her and ran out of the house, but as she tried to grab him she pulled the shirt right off his back. Well Potiphar’s wife was mad – Joseph had rejected her; I mean, didn’t he fancy her or something? She decided she was going to do everything she could to get him back. She started to scream and cry, “That slave tried to attack me,” she said, “look I’ve even got his shirt to prove it.” Kids, it was a total lie. She’d made a move on Joseph and Joseph had run away. He hadn’t attacked her at all. Because of her lie, her husband had Joseph thrown in prison and that’s where he stayed for years. Kids, what a terrible thing to do, lying to get someone you don’t like in trouble. We all know that telling big lies like that is wrong, don’t we? But do you know that God says that even telling little lies is wrong. Today at church, we’re going to look at some of the little lies we might tell and we’re going to learn that God wants us to stop lying and start telling the truth.

 

SPOT the Simple Meaning:

1) OBJECT LESSON: BALLOON POP

The actors each have a balloon in their hand and as they lie, they blow the balloons up until eventually one of them pops. For more impact you could put some shaving foam inside the balloons. The person who’s going to make their balloon pop may want to have a pin hidden in their hand.

A: Hey ‘B’, look at my new jacket, isn’t it lovely? My dad got it for me, and it cost £50.

B: Yeah well mine cost £80, and my mum got it for me.

A: Well, have you seen those trainers in JB Sports? You know the ones which cost £100 quid? Well, I’m getting them for my birthday.

B: Well, my Mum says that I can go in there and just get whatever I want. I can pick anything I like, it doesn’t matter how much it costs.

A: Well, my dad won the lottery the other day. He won £5000, that’s how rich we are.

B: Well, my dad won the Jackpot and he got £1,000,000, so there!

A: Yeah, well, we’re so rich my Nan knows the queen

B: Yeah, well, my Nan is the queen… (pop balloon)

Have you ever heard people talking like that? I have. They think by lying they’ll make themselves look big, but they don’t. When everyone finds out they’re lying. (Pop the other balloon) They just look stupid. Lying to make yourself look better only makes you look silly. That’s one reason why God tells us that we need to stop lying and start telling the truth.

 

2) OBJECT LESSON: BURNT CAKE

For this object lesson, buy a cheap sponge cake from the supermarket and put it in the oven on a high setting for about 60 mins, until the outside is thoroughly burnt. Be careful! You also need some pre-rolled icing on a table on the stage, so they can quickly cover the cake with it. Helper one (’a’) walks on with the cake.

A: Look kids, I’ve made this cake as a present for ‘B’, but, well it’s gone a bit wrong, hasn’t it? I think I left it in the oven for too long. I know, if I put this icing really carefully on the top, then it’ll hide the burn and she’ll never know. Wow, it looks better already! Here she comes. Hi ‘B’, just to say thanks loads for being my friend, I’ve made you a cake.

B: Wow! Thanks loads, ‘A’. It looks gorgeous, I’m going to have a piece right now. (They cut into cake and discover the burn) Err! ‘A’! Yuk! It’s all burnt!

A: Ah, yeah. I kind of made a bit of a mistake you see and I thought, well, if I hide it with icing, then it won’t matter, will it? You’ll never know.

B: Kids just like ‘A’ tried to hide her mistake with icing, lots of kids I know try to hide their mistakes with lies. Say they’re at Kidz Klub and there’s a prize just sitting there, they might pick it up and pretend it’s theirs. But then when the real winner gets a helper, and the helper tells them to give it back, instead of just owning up, and telling the truth, they try to cover up what they’ve done with lies. They say, “No it was mine, I won it and anyway, I brought it with me on the bus and my Nan bought it for me last year and I…” They tell more and more lies and do you know what kids, it still doesn’t cover up what they’ve done wrong. Everyone knows they’re lying. They’re just making things worse. Look at this cake, it wouldn’t matter how much icing we covered it with, underneath everyone can tell it’s burnt. When you do something wrong kids, don’t try to hide it, stop lying and just tell the truth.

 

3) OBJECT LESSON: LYING HURTS PEOPLE 

You need a photo of a family, enlarged and maybe laminated and pair of scissors. As you speak cut the photo into pieces, removing one person at a time, until eventually only one remains.

Kids, lying doesn’t just get you in trouble, it also hurts the people around you. When people lie they can end up breaking up whole families and I know a boy who did just that. He started off by lying to his Mum and Dad. Just little lies, nothing serious. He started by saying he was going somewhere that he wasn’t or that he needed money for school when he didn’t. But all those little lies added up, until they couldn’t trust him. (Cut person one off) Then he started to lie to his brother and sister. He’d take money out of their room, but when they asked him he’d just say, “it wasn’t me, I didn’t do it.” Kids they knew he was lying, so in the end they couldn’t trust him either. (Cut person two off) Then he stole a Play Station from his friend and sold it to get money, so his friend didn’t want to hang around with him either. (Cut people three and four off) All those lies cut him off from the people he loved the most, until in the end, no one liked him. He ended up all by himself. Lying didn’t make him happy, it made him sad and lonely. God wants us to be happy and that’s why he tells us to stop lying and tell the truth.