Lesson 3: Jesus in Revelation 22.
Passage: Revelation 22 - John sees a vision of a restored Eden. The River of Life flows from the throne of God down the middle of the city, and a Tree of Life stands on either side of the river, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. There will be no more curse or night, and God will be the light to the people. The chapter ends with a promise that Jesus is coming soon and he invites everyone to come and drink from the water of life.
Big Idea: Jesus is coming soon.
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: Jump the River — Activity Leader
With masking tape, mark two lines to make a river that’s wide at one end and narrow at the other. Encourage each child to choose the width they feel comfortable jumping. Invite them to jump in and out and over the river. Call out “on the bank,” “in the river,” or “across the river”. For children with mobility difficulty, invite them to cross the lines in their preferred way.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we have another video all about a book in the Bible called Revelation. It’s a big, exciting story with lots of strange pictures that teach us something about God and Jesus.
Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
In the story, it says that God’s new world has a special river and tree in it that give life forever. What do you think it would be like to live forever with God?
What do you imagine God’s new world will be like? What kind of things would be in it? What kind of things wouldn’t?
Why do you think it’s exciting that Jesus says he’s coming back?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
Dear God, thank you for loving us and for your promise to always be with us and give us life forever. Thank you for making a beautiful home in heaven that’s full of light and life. Help us to love others and follow you every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Activity: Tin Foil Embossing — Activity Leader
Kids will draw on tin foil wrapped on carboard to create an embossed picture of the river of life or tree of life.
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: Jump the River — Activity Leader
With masking tape, mark two lines to make a river; wide at one end, narrow at the other. Encourage each child to choose the width they feel comfortable jumping. Invite the children to jump in and out and over the river.
Call out: “on the bank,” “in the river,” or “across the river.” For children with mobility difficulty, invite them to cross the lines in their preferred way.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is the last day of our series on the Book of Revelation. That’s the book of the Bible where a guy named John sees some really strange things, like having a dream with lots of weird pictures. And all of the different pictures he sees teach us something about God.
Let’s watch our video to find out more about today’s story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
What are some things that John sees in this part of the story? What was flowing from the throne of God? (a river of life) What was next to the river? (a tree of life)
Is there another story in the Bible that has a tree and a river in it? (the Garden of Eden at the very beginning of the Bible when God created the world)
So it’s kind of like God is making a brand new Garden of Eden like at the beginning... Why do you think God wants to make everything brand new?
How does it feel to hear that Jesus says he is coming back again soon? Is that exciting?
What do you think we can do while we wait for Jesus to come back? (love others, spread God’s kindness and goodness in the world)
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
Dear God, thank you for your love and for preparing a beautiful home for us in the New Heaven and New Earth. While we wait for Jesus to come back, please help us to follow you, share your kindness, and shine your light every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Activity: Tin Foil Embossing — Activity Leader
Kids will draw on tinfoil wrapped on cardboard to create an embossed picture of the river of life or tree of life.
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: Alibi Game — Activity Leader
The kids will sit in a circle. One will be chosen to be the detective and will leave the circle briefly. Another will be secretly chosen as the criminal.
When the detective returns, they will stand in the middle of the circle. They will ask each person one at a time, “Where were you last night?” Each person has to respond with their alibi (ie. I was walking my dog, I was at the grocery store, I was watching a movie, etc).
After each person gives their alibi, the detective will go around the circle a second time and ask the same question. Everyone except the person who was chosen as the criminal gives the same answer as the first time, but the criminal gives a different alibi. The detective then has to figure out who the criminal is.
If they do not guess correctly, the criminal wins and becomes the next detective.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is our last day of our series on the Book of Revelation.
In this book, a guy named John has bunch of visions. He sees lots of strange and interesting things, which have a hidden meaning and teach us something about God.
Before we watch our video, let’s read the passage. And don’t worry if you don’t understand it right away, because we’ll learn more about it in our video.
Read: Revelation 22:1-7
Now let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
In today’s story, what does John see flowing from the throne of God? (the river of life) And what does he see next to the that river? (the tree of life)
Can you think of another story in the Bible where there was a river of life and a tree of life? (the Garden of Eden, at the very beginning of the Bible)
This shows us that when God creates a New Heaven and Earth, it will be like the Garden of Eden… what does that make you think the New Heaven and Earth will be like?
How do you feel about Jesus saying that he is coming back soon? What do you think we should do or how should we live while we wait for Jesus to return?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
Dear God, thank you for your promise of a new and perfect home with you. Please help us to follow you every day, to share your love with others, and to trust in your plan. Remind us that you are always with us, and help us to live well while we wait for Jesus to return. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Activity: Tin Foil Embossing — Activity Leader
Kids will be given a piece of cardboard and tin foil. They will use glue and string to create texture on the cardboard (in the shape of a river or tree?) before wrapping and taping tin foil over top. They can also draw on top of the tin foil to create an embossed picture.
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 some of the things that John saw in the story? (a river of life and a tree of life)
What does this show us about what God’s New Heaven and Earth will be like? (like the Garden of Eden, everything will be brand new and full of life)
How do you feel knowing that Jesus is coming back and wants us to live with him forever? What do you think that will be like?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What were some of the pictures John saw in the story? (a river of life and a tree of life)
Is there another story in the Bible where there was also a tree and river of life? What do you think this tells us about God’s New Heaven and Earth? (it will be like the Garden of Eden, everything made brand new)
How do you feel knowing that Jesus is coming back? What do you think Jesus wants us to do while we wait for him?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What were the images that John saw in his vision? (a river of life and a tree of life)
What do you think these images tell us about God’s New Heaven and Earth?
What do you think it means that there will be no darkness and God will be the light for the people?
How can we live in a way that shows we’re ready for Jesus to come back?
