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A P R I L G R A D E S

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PRELUDE HOME

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Scripture marked “NIV” is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Statement of Faith

ABOUT GODGod is the one and only true God, yet He exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator, so everything belongs to Him and is under His control. God is holy, so He is righteous, majestic, and loving. God is all knowing and purposeful, so He’s at work to bring about His will. No person, thing, or idea compares to God.

ABOUT THE SCRIPTURESGod reveals Himself to us through the Bible, and it is 100% accurate, reliable, and authoritative.

ABOUT PEOPLEPeople are made in God’s image and for His pleasure. But everybody falls short of God’s intention, or ideal, for people. In other words, everyone has sinned. As a result, we are all separated from Him, even though He wants an intimate relationship with each of us.

ABOUT SALVATIONThat’s why Jesus—God’s Son—came and lived on this earth, died, and rose again. God offers His free gift of salvation to all who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Savior—the only way to be forgiven and reconciled to God. Anyone who accepts this gift is adopted as a son or daughter into God’s family and will live with Him forever in heaven.

Chief Executive OfficerReggie Joiner

Creative TeamKristen IvyMike ClearMolly BellElloa DavisElizabeth HansenJessica McKeeBrandon O’DellGreg PaynePhil PierceDan ScottJon Williams

Contributing WritersJodi BlackwellBecky JarrettCara MartensKelly NishiJulie TiemannMike TiemannJohn TillmanAdam Walsh

Editors Molly BellElloa DavisDana Wilkerson

Illustrations & Graphic Design Brian BascleMike DavisJoe Goode

Technical & Web Support Hadley Brandt

Orange SpecialistsAmy GrishamAbbey CarrAmy FentonLeslie GalemaMisty PhillipsStephanie PorterCourtney Templeton

SOCIAL15 MINUTES

GROUPS25 MINUTES

STORY25 MINUTES

WORSHIP10 MINUTES

B I B L E S T O R Y

B O T T O M L I N E

M E M O R Y V E R S E

L I F E A P P

B A S I C T R U T H

PA G E 2©2017 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com

If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).

The Comeback Jesus is Crucified, Buried, and

Resurrected John 18:12-20:23

I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

Humility—putting others first by giving up what you think you

deserve.

“Don’t do anything only to get ahead. Don’t do it because you are proud. Instead, be humble. Value others more than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3, NIrV

I can put others first because Jesus put me first.

PRELUDE: Setting the tone for the experienceFor Leaders OnlyCreate the Environment

SOCIAL: Providing time for fun interactionIdeas for Early ArriversLet’s Make A Deal

STORY: Communicating God’s truth in engaging waysOpenerWorshipBible StoryPrayerCloser

WORSHIP: Inviting people to respond to God“Happy Day” from Live It Out“Generation for You” from Alive

GROUPS: Creating a safe place to connectThe Greatest Trade The Give Away Game Goal! Prayer

HOME: Prompting action beyond the experienceGodTimeParent Cue


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PRELUDE HOMESOCIAL15 MINUTES

GROUPS25 MINUTES

STORY25 MINUTES

WORSHIP10 MINUTES

25 MINUTES

10 MINUTES

25 MINUTES

15 MINUTES



Note: This version of the curriculum is designed especially for churches with fewer leaders and kids. You may want to use it if you have just one or two leaders and if you combine all your kids in both Large and Small Group time.

GETTING READY

SOCIAL: PROVIDING TIME FOR FUN INTERACTION (Choose one or both of these activities.)

Early Arriver• An offering container

Let’s Make A Deal• Several varieties of Easter themed prizes or candies• Plastic cups

STORY: COMMUNICATING GOD’S TRUTH IN ENGAGING WAYS

1. Opener/CloserWHAT YOU NEED:• Leader• Soccer jersey or t-shirt (Same as previous weeks)• One soccer ball• Giant trash bag filled with Easter/pastel balloons (filled with air—not helium)• Giant Easter basket—ideally without a handle (you can use a giant regular

basket and just add an Easter bow)• Timer or phone with timer• Two fun prizes

Music and Sound Effects (SFX): • Upbeat music to use as kids enter and exit the room• Upbeat music to use for the opening game

Large Group Visuals (downloadable from the website): • Humility Slide• Memory Verse Slide• Bottom Line Slide


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PRELUDE HOME

B I B L E S T O R Y

B O T T O M L I N E

M E M O R Y V E R S E

L I F E A P P

B A S I C T R U T H

The Comeback Jesus is Crucified, Buried, and

Resurrected John 18:12-20:23

I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

Humility—putting others first by giving up what you think you

deserve.


I can put others first because Jesus put me first.

SOCIAL15 MINUTES

GROUPS25 MINUTES

STORY25 MINUTES

WORSHIP10 MINUTES



WHAT YOU DO: • Download the music from a resource such as iTunes® and have it ready to play. • Blow up the balloons with regular air (no helium) and put them in the garbage bag. Place the bag, prizes and Easter

basket somewhere on the stage.

2. Bible StoryWHAT YOU NEED:• Leader• Bible• Large basket big enough so the “Alive” artwork won’t get crumpled (preferably with a lid)• String/wire• Twelve-24 clothespins (number depends on whether you use 1 or 2 clothespins per sheet)

Large Group Visuals (downloadable from the website): • Easter Story artwork• Bottom Line Slide

WHAT YOU DO: • Download the slides and have them ready to use. If you do not have CG capabilities, you have Orange’s permission to

enlarge and print the slides on paper• Print the Easter story artwork. Place the “Alive” artwork at the bottom of the basket.• Place the basket somewhere on the stage, but out of the way for the opener and worship. Place the rest of the artwork on

top of the basket or nearby.• Find a space where you can attach the string/wire to the stage. You will be using the clothespins to attach the Easter

Story Artwork to the string/wire during the story. Make sure you have enough string so all the picture can fit.

3. WorshipWHAT YOU NEED:• Leader(s)

Music and Sound Effects (SFX): • “Happy Day” from Live It Out* • “Generation for You” from Alive* *Live lyrics video available from https://amberskyrecords.com/

WHAT YOU DO: • Download all songs (available on AmberSkyRecords.com) and have them ready to use.• Download and print this week’s tech sheet for everyone helping with Large Group.


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GROUPS25 MINUTES

STORY25 MINUTES

WORSHIP10 MINUTES



4. Additional ResourcesGET REEL: This month with Get Reel 2.0, kids will work together to practice humility and find that working together can lead to a goooooal!

This week, we recommend playing the Live Loud video to inspire the key faith skill of Worshiping with Your Life. Also on Get Reel 2.0, you can enhance your environment with themed audio transitions (instrumental) to help you move between segments in your Large Group production.

GROUPS: CREATING A SAFE PLACE TO CONNECT (Choose as many of these activities as you like.)

* If you don’t have time to do all these activities, be sure to do activity #1.

* 1. The Greatest Trade (application activity / review the Bible story) • Three or four shirt hangers• Two plastic grocery bags• Index cards• Markers• Masking tape• A few Fisher Price Little People®, some LEGO® “minifigs,” or other small representations of people; one for each kid

2. The Give Away Game (application activity)• Tissue paper in holiday colors, crumpled into balls• Masking tape• (Optional) small Easter treats or prizes

3. Goal! (memory verse activity)• The memory verse soccer ball from last week• Masking tape• Bibles

Prayer• Several Jelly Beans per kid• “The Jelly Bean Prayer” Activity Page; one per kid

Additional Resources:• Make copies on cardstock or email this week’s GodTime and Parent Cue cards. • Tell parents about our additional family resources: Studio252.tv, CUE Box, and the Parent Cue app. To find out more

about these great resources, go to http://www.Studio252.tv/leaders.


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GROUPS25 MINUTES

STORY25 MINUTES

WORSHIP10 MINUTES



SOCIAL: PROVIDING TIME FOR FUN INTERACTION (SMALL GROUPS, 15 MINUTES)Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today’s story.

Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Take a moment to thank Jesus for the immense sacrifice He made for us on the cross. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you and your few a Christ-like humility and the strength to put others first continuously. Pray that kids would be encouraged to be like Jesus and put others first because He put us first … first!

1. EARLY ARRIVER IDEAWHAT YOU NEED: Offering container

WHAT YOU DO: • Welcome kids to your small group and guide them to place their offering in the container. • Ask them if they’ve ever had to trade a book, or toy with a friend or a sibling. • Discuss the idea of trading an experience—giving up the chance to go to a ball game so that you can go to a

sleepover, you and your brother trade chores for a week, giving up an hour of video games to spend an hour with your grandparents, etc.

• What do we usually trade for? Something bigger, better, or more valuable. • Have they ever made an “unfair” trade, that benefits the other person more than themselves? (e.g. trading desserts with

your sister so she gets her favorite treat but you end up with a flavor you don’t love)

2. LET’S MAKE A DEALWHAT YOU NEED: Several varieties of Easter themed prizes or candies, plastic cups; about 10

WHAT YOU DO: • Take several of the prizes/candies and place them under the plastic cups; make sure to get a good assortment of larger

and smaller items. • Circle the kids up and give each a prize or candy; kids can get different sizes/types of treat. • Go around the circle and offer kids a chance to either keep what they have, or trade for what’s under a cup. If kids choose

to trade, they can select only one cup and must trade their treat for whatever’s underneath it.

WHAT YOU SAY:“Hmmm, those trades turned out good for some of you; but some of you didn’t think it was fair. [Transition] Let’s go hear about Someone who traded everything He had and it didn’t seem fair at all.”

Lead your group to the Large Group area.


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PRELUDE STORY WORSHIP GROUPS HOMESOCIAL15 MINUTES



STORY: COMMUNICATING GOD’S TRUTH IN ENGAGING WAYS (LARGE GROUP, 35 MINUTES)Engage kids’ hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible story, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting.

SFX: Play high-energy music as kids enter.

Leader enters, dressed in a soccer jersey, dribbling a soccer ball.

OPENERLEADER: “Happy Easter, everyone! What a fun day to be in [your environment’s name] together! If this is your first time here, you picked the PERFECT day to come because we are celebrating that Jesus is alive! Now, you may be wondering why I’m wearing a soccer jersey instead of a snazzy Easter outfit. Well, that’s because this month we’ve been talking about how you’ve gotta pass (lightly kick the ball from one foot to the other) to win. In other words . . .

CG: Humility Slide

“Humility! Humility is putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve.

“But since it’s Easter, I’m putting away the soccer ball for a little bit though (kick or toss the ball off stage), and breaking out the Easter basket and balloons (pick up the bag of balloons and shake it). I need two volunteers to play this game with me.

Select two volunteers and bring them on stage. Give Volunteer #1 the giant Easter basket.

“[Volunteer #1’s name], you’ve got to fill your Easter basket with balloons before time runs out. But here’s the deal: you can’t touch any of these balloons. You can move around, but you can’t pick the balloons up and put them in the basket. It’s up to [Volunteer #2’s name] to get them in the basket for you. [Volunteer #2’s name], you’re not allowed to use your hands either. After all, we’re playing soccer this month. You have to kick the balloons into the basket. You both need to work together to fill up [Volunteer #1’s name]’s Easter basket. And if you can fill up your Easter basket, [Volunteer #1’s name], you will win a prize. So yes, [Volunteer #2’s name], that means that you’ll be working hard to win a prize for [Volunteer #1’s name]. Are you up for that?

“Let’s get some music going, and remember, no touching the balloons with your hands! You’ve got two minutes to fill up that basket!” (Dump the bag of balloons in front of Volunteer #2.)

Turn on phone timerSFX: Fun upbeat music

Leader can help Volunteer #1 if it becomes clear they won’t be able to fill up the basket on time. Try really hard to get the basket full, but if it doesn’t work, show grace to Volunteer #1.


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PRELUDE SOCIAL GROUPS HOMESTORY25 MINUTES

WORSHIP10 MINUTES



“Nice job, [Volunteer #2’s name]! You really put the needs of [Volunteer #1’s name] first by filling up his/her basket! [Volunteer #1’s name], you’ve won [prize], thanks to [Volunteer #2’s name] putting you first! You guys can have a seat.

Wait until the kids start to head back to their seat, then call Volunteer #2 back up.

“You know what, you did such a good job demonstrating humility, that I’ve got a prize for you too.

Hand Volunteer #2 the same prize, then have the kids sit down.

“That was some egg-cellent fun. Hey, it wouldn’t be Easter without one of my ridiculous puns, right? But even more fun is when we get to celebrate and worship God because He sent Jesus! That’s what Easter is all about, so let’s get up on our feet and celebrate!

WORSHIPLEADER: “Wow, what a fun time we are having. I can’t think of a better day than Easter to sing and celebrate the power and life of Jesus. How many of you know that when you win you get excited? (Pause for response.) Well, Jesus won! He has the victory and so today we are celebrating, cheering, and singing loud that it is a happy day. Let’s sing this to celebrate the life that Jesus gives to us. Sing out.

SFX: “Happy Day” / track 5 from Live It Out

SETTING UP THE STORYLEADER: “Jesus and his disciples had been together for about three years. The disciples watched as Jesus spoke to huge crowds (pin up “Jesus speaks”). They shared meals together (pin up “Disciples’ meal”), They saw Him perform amazing miracles like feeding over 5,000 people with just a small amount of bread and fish (pin up “Loaves and fish”).

“They had seen Him stand up to the religious leaders (pin up “Jesus in the temple”), and win over the Jewish people, who welcomed Him into Jerusalem with cheers and excitement (pin up “Palm Sunday”). It had been an exciting time for sure.

TRIALSLEADER: “Suddenly everything changed. Just days after coming into the city like a king a mob, sent by the high priest, arrested Jesus. (Pin up “Jesus’ arrest.”) And just like that, all of Jesus’ disciples scattered. In fear, they deserted the man they had dedicated their lives to. Peter and John did follow Jesus, but only from a distance. They were too scared to stand up for Him.

“First the mob took Jesus to the high priest, Annas (pin up “Annas”). Then to another high priest Caiaphas (pin up “Caiaphas”). Caiaphas demanded to know if Jesus believed He was the Son of God. Jesus replied that yes, He was. This was bad. Even though Jesus’ followers believed that Jesus was God’s Son, as far as all the religious leaders were concerned, Jesus had just committed the greatest crime imaginable: claiming to be God.


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WORSHIP10 MINUTES



“After that, they hauled Jesus off to the Roman governor, Pilate (pin up “Pilate”). The religious leaders wanted Jesus dead, and they knew Pilate could make it happen. But Pilate didn’t want to do that. Pilate had interviewed Jesus, and found no reason to put Him to death. Pilate even had Jesus whipped and crowned with thorns to satisfy the Jews. (Pin up “Crown of thorns”).

“Look, I am bringing Jesus out to you. I find no basis for a charge against him, Pilate told the crowd of religious leaders.“But only one thing would please the crowd. ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ they cried out.

“Pilate once again interviewed Jesus and tried to set Him free. But the mob was ruthless. So finally, Pilate had handed Jesus over to the religious leaders.

CRUCIFIXION & BURIALLEADER: “Soldiers took charge of Jesus, leading Him away to be hung on a cross. (Pin up “Cross on a hill.”) At Golgotha, some of Jesus’ followers including John and Mary Magdalene stood watching from a distance. They were likely remembering the words Jesus had said just the night before. He had said that He could call on God any time to send angel armies to protect Him. They must have wondered why Jesus wasn’t doing that right now? Why was He letting this happen?

“Jesus’ mother was also there. As He hung on the cross, dying, Jesus once again thought nothing of Himself but instead of the ones He loved. Listen to what Jesus said.

(Read John 19:26-27, NIrV) “‘Jesus saw his mother there. He also saw the disciple he loved standing nearby. Jesus said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.” He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, the disciple took her into his home.’

“Soon after making sure that His mother would be taken care of, Jesus cried out: “It is finished!’ Then he bowed His head and died.

Begin taking down the pictures and crumpling them up. Toss them in the basket.

“John, and all of Jesus’s friends, were devastated. It seemed that Jesus had given Himself up for nothing.

Finish crumpling and tossing all of the artwork.

“That evening, a man named Joseph took Jesus’ body and buried it in a garden tomb. Nicodemus, a religious leader, who had followed Jesus, helped. Together, they rolled a heavy stone into place against the entrance.

If your basket has a lid, close it.

EMPTY TOMBLEADER: “For three long days, Jesus’ friends hid out, afraid the religious leaders would come for them next. But on the morning of the third day, Mary Magdalene arrived at the home where Peter and John were staying.


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WORSHIP10 MINUTES

PA G E 1 0©2017 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com


“She told the men that she had been to the tomb, and there wasn’t a body! She was upset, wondering where someone had taken it, and why.

“Peter and John burst through the door and sprinted for the garden. They arrived to see it was just as Mary Magdalene had described it—the stone had been rolled away, and the tomb was empty! Nothing was left but the cloths they had wrapped Jesus in!”

WRAPPING UP THE STORYLEADER: “Peter and John returned home. But Mary Magdalene stayed behind, weeping. When a man approached, she thought at first he was a gardener.

“‘Mary,’ the man said. Immediately, Mary realized who it was! It was Jesus. He was alive!

Remove the lid and reach into the basket, pulling out the unwrinkled artwork.

“Jesus told her to go tell everyone who believed in Him that He was alive! (Pin up the “Alive” artwork.)

“Overjoyed, Mary Magdalene returned to the disciples. ‘I have seen the Lord!’ (John 20:18, NIrV) she joyfully shared.

“John and the others were amazed. He was alive?! (Point to the artwork.) So what should they do now?

“They didn’t have to wait long to find out. That evening, Jesus appeared in the room with them, even though the doors were locked!

“May peace be with you!” Jesus greeted His loved ones. The disciples were overjoyed to see their friend and Lord. Jesus was alive! He had defeated death for everyone who believes in Him. And His friends would dedicate the rest of their lives to telling others about it.

“You know, what Jesus did for us on the cross was the ultimate act of humility. Jesus put everyone else’s needs ahead of His own. And because of what He did for us, we can follow His example and do the same thing for others. It’s like our Bottom Line says,

CG: Bottom Line Slide

[Bottom Line] “I can put others first, because Jesus put me first.

“That’s a great thought, but let’s be honest it is quite challenging to do in real life, isn’t it? Let’s thanks God for sending us Jesus and ask Him to help us put others first this week as we remember all that Jesus did for us on the cross.”

PRAYLEADER: “Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus! You put us first by sending Your only Son to die on a cross for our sins, and Jesus put us first by being willing to sacrifice Himself. Because of all that You have done for us, we know that we can


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WORSHIP10 MINUTES



put others first too. Please help us, humble us, and strengthen us to put others first this week. We love you so much, and pray this all in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

WORSHIPLEADER: “Everyone, let’s stand out our feet again and celebrate Jesus. He is alive! He gave His life for each one of us and in the process conquered death for everyone. I love that on Easter Sunday we get to sing and worship Him together. Second Timothy 1:9 says: God has saved us. He has chosen us to live a holy life. It wasn’t because of anything we have done. It was because of his own purpose and grace. Through Christ Jesus, God gave us this grace even before time began (NIrV). Let’s commit who we are and what we do to living for His kingdom. That’s the heartbeat of this song we’re gonna sing.”

SFX: “Generation for You” / track 5 from Alive

CLOSERLEADER: “What Jesus did for all of us takes my breath away! Jesus is God’s Son. He could have called down angels to save Him when He was arrested—during His fake trial—when He was hung up on the cross.

“But He didn’t. He chose to put US first when He gave up His own life. He knew that’s what it would take to give us the chance for life forever with Him.

“Because of what Jesus did, you don’t have to live life just focused on yourself and what you want. Jesus didn’t just put others first, He put YOU first. He made a way for you to spend forever with God! When we believe that, He gives us the power to live like Him in how we interact with the world around us. Now, you’ll probably never be in a place where you’ll have to die for someone else, but you have chances every day to give up something for the people around you. It might be a few minutes of your time. It might be the awesome cookie in your lunch. It might be asking your friends to donate toys to kids in foster care instead of buying you birthday gifts.

“Whatever the situation, God can give you the strength to put others first—to [Basic Truth] treat others the way you want to be treated. That’s why this is the most important thing to remember today.

CG: Bottom Line Slide

[Bottom Line] “I can put others first because Jesus put me first. Say that with me.”

LEADER and KIDS: [Bottom Line] “I can put others first because Jesus put me first.”

LEADER: “That means instead of focusing on what YOU want, you put the needs of others first. Just like our memory verse says this month . . .

CG: Memory Verse Slide



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“Jesus lived, and died, and rose again! And when you believe this, God will begin to change you from the inside out. Let’s keep this Easter celebration going and head to our Small Groups to talk more about what it means to have a relationship with Jesus and put others first like He put us first. Have a great time, and we’ll see you next week!

Dismiss children to their small groups.

Play high-energy music as kids exit.


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GROUPS: CREATING A SAFE PLACE TO CONNECT (SMALL GROUPS, 25 MINUTES)Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions.

* 1. THE GREATEST TRADE (application activity / review the Bible story)WHAT YOU NEED: 3 or 4 shirt hangers, 2 plastic grocery bags, index cards, markers, masking tape; Fisher Price Little People®, LEGO® “minifigs,” or other small representations of people

WHAT YOU DO: • Make sure you pair up younger kids with older kids, or at least let older kids take the lead with a few of the younger kids

together.• If you have mostly younger kids, do more of the “cognitive heavy lifting” for them by asking them leading questions and

then giving them the answer if they don’t seem to catch on.• Instruct kids to write one thing on each index card. Let older kids write for younger kids, if they need help. o Start by asking kids about things that Jesus sacrificed in order to become a human and die to save us. These can

be “weightier” things like glory, authority, kingship, etc. But they can also be earthly inconveniences like “not having to deal with bugs that fly” or “never being hungry.”

o Kids can also write things in their own words, like “being in charge of the universe”, and “being with God all the time,” etc.

• Once the index cards are complete, give each kid a “Little People”, LEGO people, or other “people” figurine. • Instruct kids to write their name on a piece of masking tape and stick it to their person figure. • While they do this, take 2 plastic grocery sacks and attach each one to a hanger. Then balance the hangers on another

hanger, one at each end. (You can tape the hooks to the straight line of the hanger to hold them in place.)• Suspend the hanger on a doorknob, the edge of a table, or ask a kid to hold out a finger and suspend the hanger on his

finger. • As you read the index cards of “things Jesus gave up for us,” place them in one of the grocery sacks.• Then, as you explain that Jesus willingly gave up all of this in order to become human and die for our sins, place the kids’

people figures in the other grocery sack, so that it greatly outweighs the other side. Tell kids that in doing this, Jesus was putting us first and essentially telling us that we’re worth more to Him than all of what He had to give up for us.

WHAT YOU SAY:“Jesus sacrificed a lot for us—not just His life, but all the unlimited power and majesty He had in heaven. A sacrifice is when you give up something good for yourself so that someone else gets something good for them; it’s like a trade that only benefits one side. Jesus willingly made that kind of trade for us when He died for us.

When Jesus rose again, He showed that His power is greater than anything else, and it’s that power that lets us serve others. [Bottom Line] I can put others first because Jesus put me first. If Jesus could give up all of that—great stuff in heaven and even be willing to die for us—we can definitely give up some of what we want to put others first, and He will give us the strength to do it.”


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PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOMEGROUPS25 MINUTES



2. THE GIVE AWAY GAME (application activity)WHAT YOU NEED: Tissue paper in holiday colors crumpled into balls; 30 pieces, masking tape, (Optional) small Easter treats or prizes

WHAT YOU DO: • Divide the group into two teams and use the masking tape to make a line down the center of your small group area.

Place teams on either side of the line.• Spread or toss the tissue balls on both sides of the line. • On “Go”, teams will try to have the least amount of tissue on their side. Give a few minutes for kids to play. They can

toss/throw the tissues, sweep them with their arms, etc.• You can play a few rounds if you’d like; at the end make sure you count up the tissue balls on each side. • Optional: Give a prize or a point to each team for each tissue balls on the opponent’s side.

WHAT YOU SAY:“You can sure toss those tissues! In most games, the object is to get more of something than the other team—more points or prizes or baskets or goals. In this game, the object was to get the least of something. You wanted to put the other team first (and help them win prizes). When Jesus put us first by living on earth, dying on the cross, and rising again, He put us first so that we could be right with God and He also gave us the power to put others first. It may seem difficult at first, but the more you follow Jesus, the easier it becomes. [Make It Personal] (Share an age-appropriate time that you were able to put someone else first because of God’s love in you; maybe you went on a mission trip instead of a fancy vacation, or you gave up a holiday to serve at a shelter) Jesus’ love is what helps me remember [Bottom Line] I can put others first because Jesus put me first.”

3. GOAL! (memory verse activity)WHAT YOU NEED: The soccer ball from last week, masking tape, Bibles

WHAT YOU DO: • Gather the group and look up Philippians 2:3 again; read it out loud together a few times.• Tell the group that you’re going to play a goal-shooting game. • If you have mostly younger kids, show them how to pass the ball to each other. Let them each have a turn to pass the ball

to a friend, who can kick a goal. • If you have mostly older kids, let them know that if everyone has the same amount of goals at the end of (X) minutes,

everyone wins; but if one person has more goals than anyone else, just that person wins. But no one can kick a goal unless someone else has passed them the ball.

• See if kids can work out a way that everyone can pass the ball to each other and win together.• If they don’t, offer a re-do and coordinate two lines, so that kids on one side are passing to kids on the other, who then

can kick a goal. The lines rotate so that everyone has a chance to pass and to score.

WHAT YOU SAY:“Hey, great job passing and working together to get the goals! Even though you could have taken every shot and scored every goal yourself, you decided to work with your teammates and put each other first! I helped you do it when you


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needed some guidance, just like this verse gives us. We’ve learned to value others, to be humble and not proud. All of these things are what Jesus showed when He put us first and saved us. And we know now that [Bottom Line] I can put others first because Jesus put me first.”

Optional Additional Discussion Questions for Older Kids• What’s your opinion about how disciples might have been reacted at Jesus when He gave up His life? • How do you think you would have responded if you were one of the disciples, keeping in mind that you didn’t yet have

an understand of the whole story?• What have you given up in the past so that someone else could win or succeed?

PRAY AND DISMISSWHAT YOU NEED: Several Jelly Beans per kid; “Jelly Bean Prayer” Activity Page, one per kid

WHAT YOU DO: • Give each child the jellybeans and direct them to hold up each color as you read the Jelly Bean prayer aloud. • Pass out the copies of the Jelly Bean prayer so that kids can take it home with them.• Close in prayer together.

WHAT YOU SAY:“Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus. Thank you that Jesus lived, died, and rose again so that we could be with You forever. We are so grateful that Jesus showed humility and came to rescue us. Amen.”

Hey guys, don’t forget this week to enjoy your jellybeans and remember [Bottom Line] I can put others first because Jesus put me first.”

As adults arrive to pick up make sure kids show them the Jelly Bean prayer and jellybeans. See if any adults are familiar with this


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