God Knows Everything About Us

God Knows Everything About Us BIBLE PASSAGE John 4: 1-42 (Jesus and the Women at the Well) REMEMBER VERSE For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 SCHEDULE Anticipate 5 10 minutes Celebrate & Respond Large Group 35 55 minutes Respond & Bless Small Group 20 25 minutes Environment: STORYTELLING The power of The Big God Story impacts our lives by giving us an accurate and awe-inspiring perspective into how God has been moving throughout history. It is the story of redemption, salvation, and hope and tells how I have been grafted into it by grace. It further compels us to see how God is using every person s life and is creating a unique story that deserves to be told 1

for God s glory. March 17/18 Equipping Volunteers God knows everything about us, and He loves us just the way we are. When Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus makes it clear He knows her, saying, The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true. Sir, the woman said, I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem. Jesus declared... salvation is from the Jews (John 4:17 22). It is clear from this passage that the Jews and the Samaritans were enemies. John 4:9 explicitly states, Jews do not associate with Samaritans. This highlights how scandalous it was for Jesus to not only travel through Samaria, but also to ask a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. But why, exactly, were the Jews so hostile to the Samaritans? The age-old squabble between Samaritans and Jews was religious. Both the Samaritans and the Jews worshipped Yahweh, which stemmed from the original Israelites who were at Mt. Sinai with Moses. But the Samaritans claimed Mt. Gerizim was the valid place to build an altar or temple for public worship, while the Israelites claimed the sacred place of worship to be Mt. Zion. As Jesus continues His conversation with the Samaritan woman, He makes it clear that a time is coming when [true worshippers] will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem [but] will worship the Father in spirit and truth (John 4:21 23). By saying this, Jesus did not disregard the ancient feud, but said that, in Him, it is irrelevant. He was pointing her to the Truth that through the death and resurrection of Christ, worship would no longer be centered on a place or a temple, but on Him the hope of the Jews, and of the world. 2

Anticipate// (Small Group) 5 10 min 1. Longest and Shortest Routes SUPPLIES- U.S. Map printouts, maze printout, markers (supplies only needed for older ages) SET UP- When Jews traveled from Judea to Galilee, they had the choice to go the long route, crossing the Jordan and following the river to Judea, or the short route, through Samaria a place filled with enemies. Jesus chose to go through Samaria, where He met a woman at a well. We will see in this part of The Big God Story that Jesus knows everything about us and loves us anyway. ENGAGE- Lead the kids to experience multiple forms of finding the longest or shortest route. For younger kids and smaller groups, have the kids line up and place their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. Ask the child in the front of the line to take what he thinks is the longest route from one corner of the room to the other. Change out the leader until everyone has had a turn going the longest route, from one corner of the room to the other. For older kids and larger groups, have the kids draw the shortest route on the map from New York to Chicago or Denver to Los Angeles (or other routes of your choosing) taking into account natural barriers such as mountains, etc. Have them draw their routes onto the maps with the pens or markers. If there is time, encourage older kids to also try getting through the printed maze. 2. Earning Rocks See if any children have earned any rocks for the Rock Wall today. Children who memorized last week's memory verse, children who brought their Bible, or those who brought a friend. Pass out the rocks and let the kids write on the rocks their name, or the verse they memorized. (kids add rocks to rock wall at beginning of next section). 3

Celebrate// (Large Group) 20 35 min 1. Welcome & Traditions ROCK WALL CELEBRATION- Open up Celebrate time by celebrating all of the rocks that the kids have earned this week! Let them add them to the rock wall and encourage everyone to keep working on their verses, remembering their Bible and bringing friends! WELCOME VISITORS- Use this time to also welcome any new visitors. Give them a big round of applause for coming! And have a nearby leader give each visitor a high five! CONNECT- To finish up welcome time, let kids engage in today s connect question! Show Connect Slide for kids to view. Encourage them to ask someone they might not know yet. After a minute or two, ask several kids to tell their friends answers to the group- WHAT S THE HARDEST TRAVELLING EXPERIENCE YOU VE EVER HAD (LIKE GETTING A FLAT TIRE, MISSING A PLANE, GETTING LOST)? 2. Remember Verse Pass out Bibles to any kids who don t have one to use during today s lesson. Introduce kids to this week s Remember Verse. Open your Bibles and read it together. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 3. Prayer of Release Next, pray a Prayer of Release. This is a time for kids and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet their hearts and minds. Encourage kids to quiet their voices and take a seat. Then ask them to pray with you. 4. The Big God Story- God Knows Everything About Us SUPPLIES- Bible, flash drive: images of ancient map and well, blocks wrapped in paper with sins SET UP- Hide the blocks with sins around the room. Before teaching, point out that what they are about to hear is true and is recorded in the Bible. Open your Bible, and encourage kids to do the same, to the passage and leave it open and visible throughout The Big God Story. Encourage adult volunteers to keep an eye out for kids who need help finding the Scripture passage. You may even want to write the reference on a whiteboard. ENGAGE- Last week we learned that Jesus cares more about our being in relationship with Him than about us breaking a rule or always being perfect. Jesus knows everything about us, and He loves us just the same! In the Bible, we read that Jesus hung out with all kinds of people and brought them into relationship with Him inviting them to be a part of The Big God Story. In this next part of The Big God Story, we join Jesus traveling to Galilee with His disciples. He could take one of three ways to get there: The long ways were along the coast or on the east side of the Jordan River (show image of map and point out these routes). The short way to go was straight through Samaria. And guess who lived in Samaria? Right! The Samaritans! Uh-oh! But there was a problem. Israelites usually avoided going through Samaria favoring the longer routes, going out of their way to avoid their enemies. But what do you think Jesus did? Do you think He avoided Samaria? No! He went straight through it! You see, the Samaritans and Israelites were in a big fight, which had gone on for hundreds of years. One big thing they fought about most was the place God s people were to worship Him. The Israelites thought it should be at Mt. Zion, and the Samaritans thought it should be at a place called Mt. Gerizim (show these on the map). Because of this and other reasons, the Israelites and the Samaritans stayed away from each other. In fact, when Israelites wanted to insult someone, they called that person a Samaritan. Ouch! So, Jesus and His disciples started walking through Samaria, which is dry and dusty. What happens when you walk a long time through a dusty, hot desert? You get hot, tired, hungry, and very thirsty. So when Jesus and His disciples 4

came to a small town in Samaria and saw a well, they sat down beside it (show image of well). Usually, people drew water from the well during the cool of the day, in the morning or at sundown, but it was the middle of the day, the hottest time of the day, so there were very few people around. But on this day, a Samaritan woman came to the well while Jesus was sitting there. Jesus spoke to her and asked, Will you give me a drink? (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food) (John 4:7 8). This sounded like a simple thing for Jesus to ask, but it really wasn t! First, as we know, Israelites and Samaritans were enemies and did not talk to each other. Second, men and women did not talk to each other unless they were relatives or married. Third, men like Jesus famous teachers certainly did not talk to women when no one else was present. Lastly, it would have been strange for this woman to be at the well during a time when no one else was there. She might have been avoiding people in her community because she was not accepted by them. The Samaritan woman said to him, You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink? (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water (vv. 9 10). Jesus wanted to make sure they talked about important, eternal things in their short conversation. So He went on, saying, Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. The woman said to him, Sir, give me this water so that I won t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water (vv. 13 15). Then He surprised her. He told the woman that He knew she was living with a man who was not her husband. Although Jesus knew she was a Samaritan woman who had committed a sin, He still loved her and wanted to bring her into relationship with Him. You see, Jesus knew everything about her and still loved her. Then the woman asked about whether it was better to worship on Mt. Zion or Mt. Gerizim. Jesus replied, Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23 24). Because God looks at the heart, He cares more about how His people worship Him rather than where they worship Him. The woman said, I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us. Then Jesus declared, I who speak to you am he (v. 25 26). She then realized that she was not talking to just any Jewish man or teacher, but to the Messiah the Redeemer that she and all the people of Israel had been waiting for. After this experience with Jesus, the woman told everyone she knew what had happened that the Messiah had spoken with her. The Bible says that many other people believed because of what the woman told them, and that Jesus stayed for two days with the Samaritans, who also believed and said, We know that this man really is the Savior of the world (v. 42). In this part of The Big God Story, we leaned that Jesus knew everything about the woman at the well and loved her just the same! She was a Samaritan woman living in sin. But Jesus spent time with her, spoke with her, created a relationship with her, and loved her. Because of this, the woman played her part in The Big God Story by telling others about her encounter with Jesus the Messiah. Jesus also knows everything about us, even the stuff we try to hide, and He loves us just the same. Are you trying to hide anything from God? (Start looking around for the books or blocks you hid earlier. As you find each one, read the title on the label out loud, and show it to the kids. Explain to them that each item represents hidden sin in our lives.) He wants to be in relationship with us, no matter what. And He spends time developing relationship with us so we will know that He is not only the Savior of the world, but He is also the Savior of our hearts and lives (share how Jesus drew you into relationship with Him). After we experience the joy of knowing the Savior, we become storytellers, just like the woman at the well. We play a part in The Big God Story by telling others whom we have met and why He is so wonderful: because He knows everything about us and loves us anyway. 5

Respond// (Large Group) 15 20 min. 1. Worship Response Stations This week, spend 10-15 minutes in Worship Response Stations, letting children respond to the lesson they just heard in their own way. Assist younger children and guide when necessary. 2. Respond: Sing Good News! / Worship Through Music Throughout Jesus conversation with the woman at the well, He told her that sin, her gender, her culture, and her past would not stop her from having a relationship with Him! This woman may have felt loneliness and been excluded by her community. So when she met Jesus and found out that He knew everything about her and loved her anyway, she told others about Him. Let s spend some time worshipping and praising God for His good news, that no matter what we ve done, no matter how bad we feel about ourselves, Jesus loves us! Jesus forgives us and draws us toward a life with Him. Let s celebrate because it is such good news that Jesus deeply cares about us and wants to be in relationship with us. Let s celebrate that Jesus knows everything about us and loves us anyway! Finish large group Celebrate with a time of singing music. 1. Radio the World 2. Good News 3. Forgiven Then exit Large Group to spend time applying the things from today in a small group setting. 6

Respond// (Small Group) 15 20 min. 1. Reflect: God Knows Everything About Us and Loves Us Anyway Jesus knew that the woman was a Samaritan and that she had sin in her life. But, He loved her anyway. Jesus wants to draw everyone into relationship with Him. (Leaders: Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the suggested passages.) Questions for Younger Kids Why didn t Israelites want to travel through Samaria? Why wasn t Jesus supposed to talk to the woman at the well? (John 4:19) How did the Samaritan woman play a part in The Big God Story? (John 4:28 30, 39 42) How can we play a part in The Big God Story? (Matthew 28:19 20) How can you know that Jesus knows everything about you and loves you anyway? (Psalm 139:1 6, 23 24) Questions for Older Kids Why did Jews not want to travel through Samaria? Why wasn t Jesus supposed to talk to the woman at the well? (John 4:19) How did Jesus draw the Samaritan woman into relationship with Him? What did Jesus tell the Samaritan woman about worship? (John 4:21 24) How did the Samaritan woman play a part in The Big God Story? (John 4:28 30, 39 42) How can we play a part in The Big God Story? (Matthew 28:19 20) How can you know that Jesus knows everything about you and loves you anyway? (Psalm 139:1 6, 23 24) 2. Create: Good News II SUPPLIES- colored chalk, black poster board, tape SETUP- hang the poster board on the wall with the tape, set chalk in front of it ENGAGE- When the Samaritan woman met Jesus and spent time with Him, she realized her Savior had come! Because she was so excited to spread the good news, she played a part in The Big God Story by telling everyone around her. Because of her, many people in Samaria believed in Jesus as their Savior. Many times, we hear only bad news. Sometimes people don t like watching the news or reading the newspaper because hearing bad news can be depressing. Most people like to hear good news. When people hear good news, they usually want to tell everyone about it. Now, spend some time together making a mural that proclaims the good news found in Christ. The kids can use the chalk to draw or write the words or phrases onto the poster board. Encourage the kids to be as creative as possible so they will remember the good news that Jesus knows everything about them and loves them anyway. 7

Bless// (Small Group) 5 min. 1. Blessing Encourage the kids to hold their hands in front of them, palms up. This posture is meant to symbolize a willingness of heart to respond to God s Holy Spirit and receive what God has for them. Open a Bible and read Romans 5:8, 11 (NLT): God showed his great love for [you] by sending Christ to die for [you] while [you] were still [a sinner]. So now [you] can rejoice in [your] wonderful new relationship with God because [your] Lord Jesus Christ has made [you a friend] of God. May you experience the deep joy of knowing that God knows everything about you and loves you anyway. 2. HomeFront HomeFront Weekly: Be sure to send home the HomeFront Weekly for next week s lesson! This preteaching tool for parents encourages families to spend time in God s Word together before children arrive at church. 8