Kristina Fucci - Clover Sitesstorage.cloversites.com/stoneycreekchurch/documents...Jesus is faithful to forgive us and show us mercy when we say we are sorry for doing wrong. Let’s

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Spring • Lesson 5

Materials• The basics (see contents)

• Handprint Photo (from CD-ROM)• Story props (see

p. 50)

Dear Teacher,During my junior year of college, I found myself halfway around the world, in a country where I had never been before, standing on the banks of a river I had only read about. It was definitely a “pinch me” moment!

I can’t fully describe what it was like to be standing on the banks of the Jordan River! It was impossible for me not to think back to Jesus’ own experience in that VERY river. I wondered what it must have been like to watch Him be baptized or to hear God’s voice saying “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).

I came back from Israel with a renewed understanding of exactly WHO Jesus is: the Son of God! And shortly after returning home, I was baptized! Though I had been baptized as young girl, I wanted to be extra clear: I believe Jesus is THE Son of God! There is NO ONE like Jesus, and I’m living my life for Him!

Kristina FucciEditorial Assistant

Connecting You to Jesus When people came to John to be baptized in the Jor-dan River, Jesus came to be baptized, too. But when it was Jesus’ turn, the heavens opened, and God spoke, calling Jesus “My Son.” God showed the people on the banks of the Jordan that Jesus was FULLY man, but He was also FULLY God! The people coming to be bap-tized for the forgiveness of sins were able to see God’s ultimate plan for the forgiveness of sin: Jesus—God’s very own Son!

Jesus at the JordanLuke 3

Bible Verse“I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” John 11:27

Big IdeaThere is no one like Jesus.

Action PlanDescribe why Jesus is the only One worth fol-lowing, and tell what I believe about Jesus.

© 2013 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Elementary Large Group Leader Guide

TIPGreet kids as they arrive, and ask, When have you

eaten a bug?

Tip Invite a volunteer to

lead each team. Leaders stand in front of their

teams and lead teams in saying the verse.

Spring • Lesson 5

© 2013 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Elementary Large Group Leader Guide48

Opening Music (5 minutes)

As children come into the large-group area, play “I’m Keepin’ My Eyes on Jesus” (on Media DVD or track 2 on Worship CD). Lead children in singing and doing motions (see Song Motion Chart on p. 140). If we focus on Jesus and keep our eyes on Him, He will help us make the best decisions. Today we will talk about why it is best to follow Jesus. NO one else is like Him!

Icebreaker (5 minutes)

Let’s play a game where we try to guess which things are real, and which ones are fake. Show “Lesson 5: Which One Is Real?” on Media DVD, and encourage students to play the game. Some of those fake items looked very real, didn’t they? Fake grapes look a lot like real grapes. But you know what? There isn’t anyone like Jesus. He is totally different than anyone who ever lived. Jesus is the real deal.

Bible Verse (10 minutes)

There is no one like Jesus! He is the only One who is God’s Son and who came so that we could be part of His family. Open your Bible to John 11:27 and read it aloud.

This verse tells what I believe about Jesus! Let’s have a lit-tle competition to see who can say some words from our verse the loudest. Divide group into two teams. Teams take turns reading the Bible verse. When they come to the word “believe,” each team tries to say it louder than the other team. Repeat, this time with teams trying to say “Son” louder. Wow! Both teams were very loud! But we don’t have to yell to join God’s family. When we believe that Jesus is God’s Son and that He came to save us from the wrong things we have done, we will be saved!

Playlist I’m Keepin’ My Eyes on Jesus

All for JesusMerciful Jesus

This Is How We Know


49© 2013 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Elementary Large Group Leader Guide

Spring • Lesson 5

Optional Game or Story Starter Ahead of time, collect two sets of swim items (fins, water goggles, towels, swim caps, etc.) and put them in two piles at the front of the playing area.

Hold up one swim item. Raise your hand if you know what this is used for. Students respond. Let’s play a relay game using items you could use when you swim. Choose four volunteers and form them into pairs. Have pairs stand behind a pile of swim items. First volunteer from each pair quickly puts on all the swim items in his or her pile and then moves from one side of the playing area to the other and back. When students return, they remove swim items and set items in a pile. The second volunteers repeat the process. Great job to all four of our volunteers! In our Bible story today, we will be talking about a group of people that gathered near some water. But they weren’t swimming! Listen to find out what they were doing there.

Music (15 minutes) Jesus is our Savior and also our friend. When we trust in Him, we will want to give Him our all. Let’s sing a song about giving Jesus our all. Lead children in singing and doing motions for “All for Jesus” (on Media DVD or track 1 on Worship CD; see Song Motion Chart on p. 139).

Jesus is faithful to forgive us and show us mercy when we say we are sorry for doing wrong. Let’s sing a song about our merciful Jesus. Lead students in singing and doing motions for “Merciful Jesus” (on Media DVD or track 4 on Worship CD; see Song Motion Chart on p. 142).

We know what true love is, because Jesus has shown it to us! He is the only One worth following. Lead students in singing and doing motions for “This Is How We Know” (on Media DVD or track 5 on Worship CD; see Song Motion Chart on p. 143).

Story Starter (5 minutes)

What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten? When have you tasted a food and didn’t know what it was? Volunteers tell about strange things they have eaten. (Optional: bring in strange foods for children to see.) Some of those foods definitely sound unusual! Today we are going to talk about a man who ate REALLY strange foods when He was living in the desert! Listen to find out what he ate!

Spring • Lesson 5

Tip Invite a volunteer

to read aloud infor-mation about the

title of the book of Luke on page 220 in What the Bible Is All About for

Kids.

Spring • Lesson 5

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Jesus at the Jordan(15 minutes)

Luke 3

STORYTELLING IDEA Ahead of time, draw blank lines on large sheet of paper for each letter of the following words: “John,” “forgive,” “share,” “Christ” and “ Holy Spirit.” Write the following references on separate Post-it Notes: Luke 3:2; 3:3; 3:11; 3:15; 3:22. Choose five older students and give each one a Post-it Note. Group tries to guess missing story words as students with Post-it Notes look up Bible verses as directed to confirm answers.

Who?Today we’re going to work together to complete the Bible story. There are blanks throughout the story. We’ll use our Bibles to find the words that complete the story!

Long before Jesus was born, God had promised His people that someday He would send a Savior to show God’s love and take the punishment for people’s sins. The people of Israel waited many, many years for the Savior, God’s Son, to come!

One day, God sent a message to a man named _______ son of Zechariah. What was the man’s name? Students guess as older student looks up Luke 3:2 to confirm answer. That’s right! John!

John lived in the desert—a wild, dry place where few people lived. He lived alone, and he ate bugs and honey! He knew that God was preparing him for a special job. One day, God sent His message to John. He told John that it was TIME for him to begin the job God wanted him to do!

Preparing the WayLong ago, the prophet Isaiah had written about a messenger who would come and prepare the way for the Messiah. That messenger was John! His job now was to make the way for Jesus to come!

So John went to an area near the Jordan River and started preaching to the people. He told the Jews that if they were baptized and they



Spring • Lesson 5


turned away from their sin, then God would ___________ them. What would God do? Students guess as older student looks up Luke 3:3 to confirm answer. Forgive! He’d forgive them!

John told the people that someone VERY important was coming soon! He told them that they’d better pay attention and stop do-ing wrong things!

At the JordanJohn started baptizing people at the Jordan. Being baptized was a way for people to show that they were sorry for their sins and that they wanted to fol-low God. Water is used in baptism to show that God washes us clean from our sins. MANY people came to be baptized! So many came, in fact, that John was called John the Baptist.

The people asked John, “How should we live? What should we do?” John told the people that if they had extra clothes, they should _________ with those who had none. What should the people do? Students guess as older student looks up Luke 3:11 to confirm answer. Share! Share their clothes! John also told the people that they should do the same with their food.

The people who came to listen to John were watching, waiting and wondering. Is HE the _________ , the Messiah God promised to send?! Who did they think John was? Students guess as older student looks up Luke 3:15 to confirm answer. The Christ! That’s right!

But John WASN’T the Christ or Messiah! John told the people that his job was to an-nounce the coming of the Messiah whom God had promised to send. He was to prepare people for the Messiah’s coming!

I Baptize You . . .Well, guess what? One day, along with the crowds of people, someone REALLY im-portant came to be baptized. It was Jesus! Can you IMAGINE? And as Jesus was bap-tized, something incredible happened! Jesus prayed, and HEAVEN opened, and the _______ __________ came down in the form of a dove! Who came down in the form of a dove? Students guess as older student looks up Luke 3:22 to con-firm answer. The Holy Spirit! That’s right, the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove. What do you think the people at the river thought when they saw what happened? Then all the people on the banks of the Jordan heard God say to Jesus, “You are My Son, whom I LOVE! I’m very pleased with You!”

Now everyone would know that Jesus was the Messiah! It was time for Jesus to begin to teach and heal and prove that He is God’s Son. The kingdom of God had arrived!

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Spring • Lesson 5

© 2013 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Elementary Large Group Leader Guide52

Prayer (5 minutes)

John understood that Jesus was completely different from everyone else. Jesus is the One to follow! Pray, Dear God, thank You for sending your Son to Earth. Thank You that He’s the perfect example for us to follow. Help us to be more like Him this week. We love You! In Jesus’ name, amen.

Dismiss to Small Groups We’ve been talking about what made Jesus unlike anyone else. As you go to your small groups, think about why it is good for people to follow Jesus. We’ll talk more about this when we get into our small groups.

Wrap-UpWhen John was baptizing people in the Jordan River, MANY people came to be baptized, including Jesus. But when it was Jesus’ turn to be baptized, something happened that had NEVER happened before—the skies opened and God’s voice called down from heaven. God said that Jesus was His Son! There is no one else like Jesus!

Our Bible verse today tells what I believe about Jesus. Read John 11:27 aloud. Jesus IS God’s Son. God sent Him to Earth to rescue us from all the wrong things we’ve done—a job no one else could do! Show photo of handprint. We all have things about us that make us different from other people—right down to our fingerprints. But Jesus is completely different from EVERYONE else! He is God’s Son, and He came to rescue us and show God’s love to us. That makes Jesus the only One worth following!


Connecting Kids to Jesus When John baptized Jesus, God spoke from heaven and called Jesus “My Son.” Jesus isn’t just a man —He is also God’s Son! People were coming to the Jordan to be baptized and to be forgiven for the wrong things they had done. But that day, they got to see God’s PLAN for forgiving all the wrong things everyone has done: Jesus!

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