Key Concept. Jesus [point up] is always with us [point thumbs to self]. Children will hear the story of Jesus ascending to heaven.

Transcription

1 In the Beginning... Jumping into God s UNIT 2: LESSON 6: Jesus Goes to Heaven Key Concept Jesus is always with us. KEY CONCEPT MOTIONS: Jesus [point up] is always with us [point thumbs to self]. Bible Summary Mark 16:15-19 After Jesus rose from the dead, He spent time with His friends. Jesus told His friends to preach the good news to everyone, baptize them, and teach them to obey God. He promised His friends He would be with them always. After Jesus said all these things, He ascended into Heaven. Bible Verse I am with you always... Matthew 28:20 Objectives KNOW WHAT: Children will hear the story of Jesus ascending to heaven. SO WHAT: Children will learn Jesus is always with us. We can choose to trust and obey Him, even though we can t see Him. NOW WHAT: Children will participate in an activity that reminds them of different times Jesus is with them. Spiritual Formation Trust People Needed Teacher, Helper Supplies (Labeled items can be found in the Lesson 6 Visual folder on the Spring Quarter CDs.) CD player Video camera (optional) Television and VHS/DVD player (optional) Music for singing Sound effects CD #1 The Beginner s Bible Flashlight 3 Boxes with lids (or large gift bags) 2 Biblical robes Tutu or other silly costume Application pictures (Lesson 6 LG 1 Lesson 6 LG 3) Crayons For each child: Star game sheet (Lesson 6 SG 4) Key Concept sticker (Lesson 6 SG 5) Take-home coloring sheet (Lesson 6 SG 6, Lesson 6 SG 7) Snack 1 Spring Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 6

2 Notes: In Advance Recruit a Helper to operate the music and sound effects CDs and to help you with crowd control. The Helper has several lines to memorize for this lesson. Determine which songs you will use and be prepared to lead the children in singing: Song suggestions: Upbeat song for transition from Activity Stations to the Creative Bible Teaching The Happy Dance (Reach Up High CD) Jesus Is the Best, Oh Yes (Touch the Sky CD) Jesus You Are Here with Me (Touch the Sky CD) Gather the supplies listed above and arrange your classroom as follows: Hang a sign that says. Then use several of the suggestions from the Unit Overview, such as white lights, red carpet or fabric, or theater tickets to give your room the feel of a movie theater. Find three boxes with lids and arrange them around the teaching area. If desired, decorate them in a fun way. Print the application pictures. OPTIONAL: Since this unit it set in a theater, the Bible story is a movie being filmed. During the Bible story, the Helper can record a minute or two of footage of the kids to play back at the end of the lesson. Prepare the materials that will be given to each child. To prepare the stickers, print or copy the pages onto Avery label sheets #5294. Consider cutting the stickers apart for easier distribution. Print the lesson and practice the teaching time. Teacher s Prep READ MARK 16: Right before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised He would be with us forever, and He asked us to go make disciples of all nations. Take a minute to reflect on what this means for your daily life. When you feel like everything you do turns into a disaster, life is overwhelming, and you don t know where to turn Jesus is with you. He s always been with you. When you take some time to breathe in the fresh spring air, notice the flowers blooming, and feel the sun on your face Jesus is with you. When you take a risk and invite a friend to church without knowing how they ll react Jesus is with you. When you speak hard truth to someone who is being destructive to themselves and others Jesus is with you. As we obey Christ, and grow to be more like Him, life won t get easier. In fact, we may have even more challenges. But we take comfort knowing that He is with us every single moment of the day. 2 Spring Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 6

3 Activity Stations (20 MINUTES) Choose which Activity Stations you will use from the list included in the Activity Stations folder. Creative Bible Teaching (15 MINUTES) [Play upbeat music as children transition to the teaching area. Encourage kids to clap their hands along with you. Clap in a variety of styles, like overhead, on your knees, on your belly, etc] Welcome to the Greatest! My name is, and I m really excited to see all of you. I m glad you could come and visit the theater with me. When we re here, we all get to be a part of the Bible story. And we get to learn more about God s story, too. I m going to pretend to be an usher and guide us through it all. To help us get started, let s remember two rules so we can have the most fun. Rule number one: be kind. What is it? [Kids respond, Be kind! ] We can be kind by sitting down so everyone can see and by being very quiet so everyone can hear. Rule number two: be safe. What is it? [Kids respond, Be safe! ] You can be safe by keeping your hands to yourself. Good job! Over the past few weeks, we have learned a lot of things about Jesus. Today, we are going to learn that Jesus is always with us, and He ll never, ever leave us. I m gonna need my Bible. [Helper], do you have it? [Helper brings up the Bible, looking sad.] Thanks! [Take Bible.] Today s story is about a time when Jesus went to heaven to be with God. [To Helper.] What s wrong? Well, it makes me kinda sad to think about Jesus going to heaven and leaving His friends. Well, it may seem sad now, but when you hear the story, I think you ll be happy in the end. Really? Yup. 3 Spring Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 6

4 Well, that s good. [Go back to CD player.] Okay, I just need to get my costume. [Glance at first box, nervous.] Should I open the box? [Kids respond. Open it very slowly and peak in.] Oo! Guess what! I picked the right box on the first try. Here s the costume! [Pull out tutu or other silly costume and put it on. Turn to kids.] Um. I m not sure this is the right costume. Do you think this is the right costume? [Kids respond.] Okay, maybe we better try the next one. [Take off costume and open the second box.] [Insert Who s there? and Gorilla who? at the appropriate places.] [SFX 41: Knock, knock... Gorilla... Gorilla me a hamburger. I m hungry!] [Shut box.] Okay, that was funny. But I still need a costume! Where should I look? [Kids point to the third box. Open it and pull out the robes.] Ah, ha! Here we go. [Put one on.] [Helper], there s one for you, too! [Toss robe to Helper.] I ll point to you when it s your turn to help with the story. We re going to be Jesus friends again. Do you remember what Jesus friends were called? [Kids respond, Disciples. ] That s right. The disciples. You all are learning a lot! Let s get started. I ll tell you what the first part of the story is about, and then I ll point to you, and we ll pretend to be the disciples. Action! [Read from Bible.] The Bible story begins on a mountain just outside the town of Bethany. Friends, say that with me. Bethany. Jesus and His friends had gathered together on the mountainside so they could be together. Jesus loved being with His friends, and His friends loved being with Him. As Jesus and His friends sat talking, Jesus told them He wanted them to tell everyone about Him. He wanted His friends to tell everyone Jesus loves them. The Bible says Jesus told His friends He was going away but He would always be with them, no matter what. Then Jesus went up into the sky, up through the clouds, until His friends couldn t see Him any longer. [Point to Helper, who comes forward, looking up.] Wait! Jesus can t go away! Where s He going? Jesus went to heaven [look up] to be with His father, God. But remember? Jesus told us He is always be with us, too. [Still looking up.] But I can t see Him. He s gone! 4 Spring Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 6

5 [Still looking up.] Even though we can t see Him, He s always with us. We can still spend time with Him. Jesus can still teach us and help us and love us. So He ll always be with us? Always. No matter what. You just have to trust Jesus when He says He ll always be with us wherever we go or whatever we do. [They both look upward again for a few moments, then look back at the kids and take off their robes. Helper returns to the CD player.] I bet it was really hard for the disciples to watch Jesus go away. The disciples loved Jesus very much, and He loved them, too. They were going to miss Him. But He told them He would always be with them. And He tells us He is always with us, too. Those are our special words for today. Jesus [point up] is always with us [point thumbs to self]. Friends, say that with me. Jesus [point up] is always with us [point thumbs to self]. Let s say that in our loudest voices. Jesus [point up] is always with us [point thumbs to self]. Now let s see how quietly we can say it. Jesus [point up] is always with us [point thumbs to self]. Good job! We can trust Jesus when He says He will always be with us! Knowing that Jesus is always with me makes me happy! Let s stand up and sing. MUSIC Song suggestion: The Happy Dance [Invite kids to sit down on the count of three.] Life Application Activity (10 MINUTES) I like learning about Jesus. But even more than that, I like knowing Jesus is always with us. Friends, let s say our special words again. Jesus [point up] is always with us [point thumbs to self]. I ve got a fun guessing game planned that teaches us times we know Jesus is with us. I m going to give you three clues to help you discover times when Jesus is with you. I want you to listen to all three clues before you answer the question. Ready? [Kids respond.] Remember: listen to all three clues before you answer. First question. 1. It has four tires. 2. It has a steering wheel. 3. It goes vroom, vroom. 5 Spring Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 6

6 [Kids respond, Car. Show car picture.] That s right! Whether you re going near or far, Jesus is with you in the car! When you re in the car driving around with your mom or your dad, Jesus is always with you. Friends, let s pretend to drive a car. Ready? Grab your steering wheel and drive that car. [Pretend to drive.] [SFX 42: Car engine.] Let s try another one. Lesson 6 LG 1 1. This is soft. 2. You lie down on it when you go to sleep. 3. It has a blanket and pillow on it. Do you know what it is? [Kids respond, Bed. Show bed picture.] You got it! You lie down your sleepy head, in a cozy, comfy bed! Friends, when you re lying in your bed at night, Jesus is with you. Let s pretend to go to sleep. Ready? [Lie down and pretend to sleep for a short time.] [SFX 43: Lullaby music.] Okay, time to wake up and do one more. Lesson 6 LG 2 1. You go see this person when you re sick. 2. This person looks in your ears, nose, and throat. 3. This person listens to your heart. Who is it? [Kids respond, Doctor! Show doctor picture.] That s right! When I m sick, at the doctor is where I ll be; I know Jesus is there with me. Friends, no matter where you go, Jesus is always with you. Let s pretend we re at the doctor. Let s open up our mouths and say, Ahhhhhhh. [Kids do it with you.] And stop! Friends, let s say our special words one more time. Jesus [point up] is always with us [point thumbs to self]. Good job. Let s stand up and sing a song to Jesus. Lesson 6 LG 3 MUSIC Song suggestion: Jesus Is the Best, Oh Yes Now we re going to play one more special game. [Invite kids to sit down in a circle. Teacher and Helper pass out a crayon and a Star game sheet to each child.] 6 Spring Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 6

7 I will read you our special directions and questions for the game. Each one will tell us how many circles we get to color on the game board. Sometimes we will land on a star. When we land on a star, we will answer questions about different times and places Jesus is with us. We want to go from the start of the game [point to it] to the end of the game [point to it] and talk about times that Jesus is always with us. [Read the following instructions to the kids.] #1. Color in six circles. Did you land on a star? [Yes.] We have to answer this question before we can go on in the game. What is a place inside your house where Jesus is with you? [Allow children to respond.] Jesus is with us everywhere. End #2. Color in two circles. Did you land on a star? [No.] Stand up and jump up and down five times. Then sit back down. Start Lesson 6 SG 4 #3. Color in four circles. Did you land on a star? [Yes.] We have to answer this question before we can go on in the game. Pretend you are driving in your car with your family. [Pretend to drive.] Where would you go? [Allow children to respond.] Is Jesus with you? [Allow children to respond.] Jesus is with us everywhere. #4. Color in six circles. Did you land on a star? [Yes.] We have to answer this question before we can go on in the game. Tell me about a time when you felt really sad or really happy. [Allow children to respond.] Is Jesus with you when you feel really sad or happy? [Yes.] #5. Color in eight circles. Did you land on a star? [No.] Stand up and twirl around five times. Then sit back down. #6. Color in three circles. Did you land on a star? [Yes.] Tell me about a time when Jesus was with you. [Allow children to respond.] Jesus is always with us. #7. Color in four circles. Did you make it to the end of the game? [Yes.] Way to go! [Give each child a high-five.] What are the special words we learned today? Jesus [point up] is always with us [point thumbs to self]. Today we learned Jesus [point up] is always with us [point thumbs to self]! Let s pray and talk to Jesus. MUSIC Song suggestion: Jesus You Are Here with Me [Pray during the instrumental section, having the kids repeat each line after you.] 7 Spring Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 6

8 Dear Jesus, Thank You for the Bible story. We re glad You re always with us. Thank You for our snack. In Jesus Name, Amen. Snack and Coloring Activity Jesus is always with us. Lesson 6 SG 5 Jesus is always with us. (15 MINUTES) Use this time to continue building community and to learn more about your kids and their concerns. Listen closely so you are better equipped to pray for and reach out to each child. GIVE each child a snack to eat. GIVE each child a Key Concept sticker to put on their shirt while they are eating their snack. GIVE each child a coloring sheet to color while they are waiting to be picked up. ASK each child a question or two about themselves: When do you wonder if Jesus is with you? How do you think the disciples felt when they saw Jesus going to heaven? Jesus Goes to Heaven (Matthew 28:16-20) Lesson 6 SG 6 8 Spring Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teacher s Guidebook / Lesson 6