3-5s
Theme: Jesus is coming so be ready
Aim: That they live each day as if Jesus might
return
Intro:
Some sort
of game where they need to be ready –eg snap,
Teaching:
Recap –
particularly last week. Do you remember we saw that Jesus was coming back on
the clouds with the trumpet blasts [if possible show pictures from last week, including
Terry the Thessalonian].
[Have a big
clock] The question that Terry and the other friends of Jesus in Thessalonica
have is when? Will it be in an hour? [move clock on an hour] Will it be in 12
hours? [move clock on a bit more] Will it be when x is 6? [move clock on a bit
more]. Will it be when x is 36? [etc]
Paul says
we don’t know [shrug shoulders]. Read 5v1. Lots of things we do know. We know
when we go to school or preschool – that’s not a surprise. [Set the clock to
9.00] We get up have our breakfast, get dressed and go at the time our mummies
or daddies take us. We know when its bed time [yawn]. That’s not a surprise, it
often gets dark and we get tired. We’ve had our tea and its 7:00 [set clock to
then]
Jesus’
coming will be a sudden surprise! BANG! [make a loud noise] Did that surprise
you? Jesus’ coming back will be a big surprise too. We don’t know whether it
will be at 9:00 [set clock], 7:00 [etc], tomorrow, next week, next year, maybe
not for ages and ages. But when He comes back it will be a HUGE surprise!
Paul warns
Terry that there will be lots of people saying, ‘Don’t worry, Jesus isn’t
coming back now. Everything is happy and lovely.’ [picture of people relaxing
or doing things they shouldn’t] But Paul says, ‘Don’t listen to them. Jesus
will come suddenly, BANG!’
These
people in the picture, they aren’t living as though they were ready for Jesus
coming back at any moment. They’ve forgotten Jesus and can’t be bothered with
Him. How would Jesus feel about them if He came back now? He’d be sad.
So, how can
we be ready for the BIG surprise of Jesus coming back on the clouds? We live as
His friends. So if Jesus came back, would He be happy with Terry if he was
doing what Mummy and Daddy ask? Yes. Would our friend Jesus be happy with Terry
if he was taking something that didn’t belong to him? No. [continue with other
examples – but be careful to put in the sentence ‘friends of Jesus’] [Have
pictures of examples]
And if
we’re ready when Jesus comes back, then it will be a huge reason to celebrate
and have a party because we will go and be with Him forever. Read 5v9-11.
Pray
Craft:
- · Clock – we don’t know when Jesus will return
- · Surprise craft
Songs:
- · God knows from J is for Jesus
- · He died upon the Cross (Colin Buchanan)
------
5-11s
Theme: Jesus will come suddenly for all so be
ready
Aim: That they live each day as if Jesus might
return
Intro
- · How long is a minute – the children need to stand absolutely still and quiet and sit down when they think exactly a minute is up
- · Talk about their best surprises ever (eg birthdays, etc) – talk about a birthday surprise where you were given a chocolate bar and place it on the side
Teaching:
Recap –
what Jesus coming back is going to be like – it’s not a problem for those who
have died loving and trusting Jesus.
This week
their question is when? When will Jesus return? Good question, because if he’s
not coming back for another few years we don’t need to worry about living His
way, right?
- 1. Like a thief in the night
Here is
Paul’s answer – child reads 5v1-4. So there will be lots of people saying,
‘Forget about Jesus coming back, life is good. We’ve got plenty of food and
money, just enjoy life!’ But Paul says, ‘Don’t listen to them!’ Jesus’ return
will come with sudden destruction and they won’t be able to escape.
Paul
compares it to a burglar coming and breaking into your house. [At this point
another leader comes and tries to steal the chocolate bar from earlier – ham it
up panto style!]
If we knew
that someone was going to come and steal our stuff, we’d be ready wouldn’t we.
We’d have a policeman ready to arrest them. But they don’t warn you. They don’t
phone you beforehand and say, ‘Hello x, I’m coming round tonight to steal your
stuff, please make sure you’re in!’ No. When they come it’s a big surprise. And
when Jesus comes it will be a big surprise too, with no warning. BANG! [pull a party
popper or something similar]
Jesus might
return this afternoon, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, 100 years.
We don’t know, but it will be a big surprise.
- 2. Be Awake!
So how
should we live as friends of Jesus if He’s coming back any moment? Here is what
Paul says: child reads 5v5-8. Do you see what Paul is comparing? We have day
and night. [turn out the lights and put a light on one side of the room] What
things do we do at night? [take a list and put in dark side] What things do we
do during the day? [take a second list and put in light side]
Paul isn’t
saying we must never sleep. He is saying that some people spend their whole
lives as if it were night time – doing things they shouldn’t as if no-one is
watching because it’s dark. And its as if they are asleep because they are not
thinking about Jesus and who He is. When you’re asleep, you don’t think. Well,
they don’t think about Jesus. And it won’t be good for them when He returns.
But we are
to be people of the light. So we are to be awake and alert and ready. If you’re
asleep, you’re not ready for the burglar to come. Well, we’re to live our whole
lives as if Jesus may return any second. It doesn’t mean we are always to be
awake with our eyes open, it just means we are to be living for Jesus always.
Here’s one
way he says we are to be awake. What do you do when you wake up in the morning?
Get dressed? Well Paul says to get dressed. Read 5v8. What are we to wear?
Faith and love as a breastplate [put a breastplate with ‘faith’ and love’
written on] Trusting Jesus and loving each other will protect us when Jesus
returns. Hope will be our helmet [put helmet with ‘hope’ written on]. The hope
of Jesus’ return will protect our thinking incase we forget. Have we seen these
words before in 1 Thess?
Sum up – we
are to be ready for Jesus’ coming back any moment. That means living for Him,
trusting Him and warning others that He is coming.
Pray
Stick
picture to old letter - clock
Table time: [add numbers to a clock as they answer
questions]
Knowledge
- · When is Jesus coming back?
- · What will it be like when he comes back?
- · How does Paul say we should live?
Understanding
- · Why will some people be taken by surprise?
- · What does Paul say we are to wear?
Application
- · What does it look like for you to be ready for Jesus’ coming back?
- · What do you think it looks like for you not to be ready for Jesus’ return?
- · How can you encourage others with this news?
Pray
Memory
verse
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