Lesson 1: Who is the greatest?
Passage: Mark 9:33-37 - Jesus traveled with his disciples, and when they arrived in Capernaum, Jesus turned to them and asked them what they were arguing about on the road. They kept quite because they didn’t want to admit that they were arguing about which of them was the greatest. Jesus addressed them and said that anyone who wants to be first must be last and the servant of all. He then brought a small child among them and said that whoever welcomes one of the little children welcomes him and the one who sent him.
Big Idea: What it takes to be truly great.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Bean Bag Toss — Activity Leader
Kids practice taking turns by lining up to toss a bean bag into a bucket or other target one at a time. If there are multiple bean bags available, the goal is to get as many bean bags to the target as they can.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Last Sunday we finished talking about someone named Paul who was a follower of Jesus. Today we’re going to be learning about some of the other followers and friends of Jesus in the Bible.
What do you think it would be like to be one of Jesus’ friends while he was on earth?
What kind of things do you think Jesus and his friends did?
Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
What are some things that you and your friends like to do?
Do you and your friends always get along or do you sometimes argue too? How do you usually solve problems with your friends?
In the video, what were Jesus’ friends arguing about? Why do you think they were arguing about that?
What did Jesus say to them about what they should do if they want to be great?
What do you think is so great about caring for your friends instead of always trying to be the best?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
"Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about Jesus’ friends and how even they argued and didn’t get along well sometimes. Thank you that Jesus helped them to solve their problems by reminding them that it’s better to be kind and care for one another instead of always wanting to be the best Please help us to also have humble hearts that care for our friends. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Activity: Kindness Notes — Activity Leader
Kids will draw pictures to give to their parents, friends, etc. and put them in a cup.
If a child is not interested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: If-Then Action Game — Activity Leader
All the kids will start sitting. The Activity Leader will call out a qualifier or category of kids (eg. having brown hair, having a pet dog, etc) and an action (eg. stand up, shake your leg, nod your head, etc). All the kids who fit that qualifier will repeat the action and continue throughout the game. The Activity Leader will then call out other categories and movements for other kids to join.
If a kid fits more than one category, they have to try to do both actions. Finally, get them all to stop by saying something general, like “If you’re in Commons Kids sit down and freeze! You can repeat the game again if time allows.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re starting a new series! Last Sunday we finished up our series on Paul, who was the guy that traveled around spreading Jesus’ message, starting churches, and writing letters to those churches that ended up in the Bible.
Now we’re going to be learning about some of Jesus’ other friends - the disciples who were with him while he was on the earth.
Can anyone remember any of the names of Jesus’ disciples?
What do you think the disciples did while they were following Jesus?
Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
In today’s story we learned about how Jesus’ friends didn’t always get along and did end up arguing sometimes. Can anyone remember what it was they were arguing about?
Do you and your friends always get along or do you butt head sometimes too?
What kind of things do you and your friends argue about sometimes? How do you try to solve your problems?
What did Jesus teach his friends about what it means to be truly great in God’s eyes?
Why do you think Jesus says that anyone who wants to be first has to be last and a servant of all? What do you think that means?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
"Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about Jesus’ friends and even they didn’t always get along. Thank you for how Jesus helped them solve their problems by reminding them that it’s not important which of them is the best. Instead, what’s important is caring for one another and putting others first. That is the way to be truly great in God’s eyes. Please help us to have humble hearts that care for our friends and put others first. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Activity: Kindness Cups — Activity Leader
Kids will write acts of kindness on popsicle sticks and put them in cups. They will glue an “acts of kindness” label to the outside of the cup. There will be a list of ideas that kinds can copy from as well as printed ones for kids who need them.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Ping Pong Balance and Bottle Flip — Activity Leader
See video example here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCT7ksXpXa4&si=orU15cWjJf1u1YeE
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Last week we finished up our series on the life and teachings of the Apostle Paul.
What’s one thing you remember about Paul and what he did and taught?
Today we’re going back a little and learning about the other friends and disciples of Jesus who were with him while he was still on the earth.
Can anyone remember some of the names of Jesus’ disciples?
Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
What was it that Jesus’ friends were arguing about on the road?
Do you and your friends always get along or do you sometimes butt heads?
What kind of things do you argue about? How do you usually solve your problems? How do you avoid them in the first place?
How did Jesus react to the disciples’ argument about who is the greatest?
What do you think it means that anyone who wants to be first must be last and the servant of all? Does that make sense to you?
What’s something you can do or remind yourself when you start to feel jealous or competitive with your friends?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
"Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about Jesus’ disciples and how even they didn’t get along all the time. Thank you for the way that Jesus helped them learn and grow from their problems, and how he taught them that the way to be truly great is through being humble and caring for others instead of always thinking about yourself. Please help us to have humble hearts that are more focused on lifting up our friends rather than trying to be the best. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Activity: Kindness Cups — Activity Leader
Kids will write acts of kindness on popsicle sticks and put them in cups. They will glue an “acts of kindness” label to the outside of the cup. There will be a list of ideas that kinds can copy from.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
For Parents:
Follow-up questions.
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What were Jesus’ friends arguing about?
What did Jesus say was the way to be really great?
Do you think it’s better to be kind to others or to always want to be the best? Why?
What are some ways that you can care for your friends?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What kind of things did Jesus and his friends do while he was on earth?
What were his friends arguing about in the story? Have you ever gotten into an argument with friends?
What did Jesus say is the way to be truly great? What do you think about that?
What are some ways that you solve arguments with your friends? How can you try to avoid arguing in the first place?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What do you think it was like for Jesus’ disciples to spend so much time traveling together while they followed Jesus?
What did they end up arguing about in the story? How did Jesus react?
What do you think about Jesus’ teaching that if you want to be first you have to be last and the servant of all? What do you think was his point?
What are some ways that you can practice putting others first and having a humble heart?
