Teaching John 5

John 5 for 3-5s

Theme: Jesus is God, come to show us the perfect world He will bring

Intro:

Stick some spots on a leader. Introduce them and say they’re feeling poorly. How could we make them better? Is there anyway of making them better right now? We get poorly because this world is not the way God made it in the beginning. We need God to put it right.

Bible Story:

[Needed a couple of plastic people, eg playmobile, a small mat and a bowl of water or alternatively act out with a paddling pool]

Let’s listen to our true story from the bible. It happened a long time ago, before Jesus died and rose again.

There was a pool of water in the big city of Jerusalem. And poorly people thought it might make them better to wash in it. So all around the pool there were people who couldn’t walk or couldn’t see.

One of them was a man who couldn’t walk. He had been there for 38 years! That’s a really long time. And all that time he’d been waiting to get well.

When Jesus saw him lying there he knew how long he’d been waiting. He said to him, ‘Do you want to get well?’

The man said, ‘Sir, I’ve got no one to carry me into the pool.’

Jesus said to him, ‘Get up, take up your bed and walk!’

Now, if you or I said this then nothing would happen. We don’t have that power. But because Jesus is God as soon as He had said, ‘Get up, take up your bed and walk,’ the man stood up and was made better right then!

That’s exactly what Jesus came for. He came to show us that one day He would make everything right again. No more sin, or sadness or sickness. And He has the power to do that because He is God.

Pray

Songs:

No more tears

My God is a very, very Big God

Craft:

Paper bowls, fill with blue crepe paper, and cut out man and mat to stick beside

Print out pictures of the story and cut up – they stick on in order

 

John 5 for 5-11s

Theme: Jesus is God, come to show us the perfect world He will bring

Intros:

·           Race to the pool – mark out a pool. Individuals have to get to the pool in the stated way without using their legs eg roll, squirm. Final time they have to be carried on a mat.

Bible story:

[You’ll need a mat and something representing the pool, eg a blue cloth, paddling pool]

Stick sticky dots on a child or leader. Could anyone make him better? Right now? We can’t because we‘re not God. But poorliness is a sign that this world is not the way God made it in the beginning. Sin has made it go wrong.

Let’s have a look at what Jesus did in our true story from the bible.

In the capital city of Jerusalem there was a pool. People thought that this was a special pool where they could be made better. So there were lots of people round the pool who were blind, lame and paralysed in some way.

One lame man had been waiting to get into the pool for 38 years, but people kept jumping in before him! [Act it out]

Jesus came to that pool and saw the man sitting there. He said to him:

Jesus – Do you want to get well?

Man – Sir, people keep jumping in ahead of me.

Jesus – Get up, take up your bed and walk.

Now, if you or I had said this nothing would have happened. But Jesus is God so He has all the power and to Him this is no problem. So immediately the man was made better, he could walk again. [Act out]

Not everyone was happy that Jesus had healed the man. He’d made him better on a special day called the Sabbath, and the Jewish leaders believed that you weren’t mean to do anything on that day. So they found Jesus and questioned Him.

Jesus told them that He was allowed to because He is God. You can imagine how that made them feel. They were furious! He was claiming to be God Himself.

But He was also showing how one day He would make everything right again.

Table time:

• Arrange pictures from the story in order (particularly for the younger ones)

Questions

Knowledge:

• What was wrong with the man?
• How long did it take for Jesus to make him better?
• What day did Jesus do this on?

Understanding:

• Who did Jesus claim to be?
• Why were the Jewish leaders annoyed with that?
• How was Jesus showing what He will do in the future?

Application:

• Can anyone else sort out what’s wrong with the world? You’re mum and dad, teacher, etc?

• How should we feel about Jesus?

• What should we do if Jesus is God?

Teaching John 4

John 4 for 3-5s

Theme: Jesus brings life to all who trust Him!

Intro:

Large sheet of paper in the middle of the table. Get them to stick on green grass. While you build the well talk to them about how they might draw water from it.

Bible story:

[You will need: Jenga blocks for the well, a toy man, woman and a small jug]

Oh, it’s hot. Really hot. It’s the middle of the day and everyone sensible has gone for a lie down indoors to keep out of the heat! Everyone except Jesus who was travelling through Samaria.

Now the Jews hated Samaritans. They were their enemies, and you would never sit around talking to a Samaritan! If there was anyone who wasn’t going to be friends with Jesus then it would be a Samaritan.

So Jesus sits down at the well because he was tired from his journey.

But what’s this? A woman is coming to the well. A Samaritan woman. There’s only one reason for her to come to the well in the middle of the day; so that no-one would see her. She must be a bad ‘un. I’d keep away from her, Jesus!

But Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’

She was amazed, ‘No Jew would ever speak to a Samaritan!’

But Jesus replied, ‘You don’t understand. I can give you living water!’

Living water! What’s that? Jesus explains that its water that will mean you can live with God forever.

In other words we need to believe Jesus and trust Him that we will be with Him forever. But the amazing thing is that Jesus was offering this living water to this lady, too. You see, Jesus’ offer of life forever is for all types of people, good people and bad people and tall people and short people. People who you don’t like as well as your friends.

Isn’t Jesus wonderful? We should trust Him to give us life forever.

Pray

Craft:

Modelling clay pots for collecting water

Paper with ‘Anyone can be friends with Jesus’ – stick on photos from magazines, etc.

Songs:

Jesus loves me

I belong to him

John 4 for 5-11s

Theme: Jesus brings life to all who trust Him!

Intros:

·           Who? – teams have to sort a pile of photos of people into those they’d have on their teams and those they wouldn’t

·           Boat race – teams have to drink a cup of water and place it on their heads as quickly as they can. The next person in line can only drink when the last person has finished.

·           Crackers! – contestants have to eat a cracker and whistle without having any water. Point of both games is living water.

Bible talk:

·        [Build a well out of chairs, rope and a bucket in the middle of the room]

·        Wonder who you really don’t like (don’t say!)

·        Jews hated Samaritans

·        Jesus travelling through Samaria rests at a well in the middle of the day

·        Woman comes up, Jesus asks for water. She’s amazed

·        Jesus offers her living water. You what?!

·        Read v13-14

·        She’d love this water. Wouldn’t you?

·        But Jesus knows all about her! V16-18. Yet still he offers her life forever!

·        Jesus’ living water is for anyone who trusts and believes in Him. It doesn’t matter how bad you are or where you come from, Jesus is for you.

·        And boy does she trust Him. She goes home and tells everyone all about Him!

Pray

Questions for table time:

Knowledge:

·        What did the Jews think of Samaritans?

·        Where was Jesus sitting in the story?

·        Tell me about the lady who came up to Him?

Understanding:

·        When Jesus offered her living water, what do you think He meant?

·        Who could have this living water, this life forever?

·        What did the lady do when she realised who Jesus was?

Application:

·        Have you come to Jesus to receive life forever?

·        Who do you think shouldn’t have Jesus’ offer?

·        Who will you tell about Jesus’ offer?