Kingdom Tales, Week 2 (Apr. 14, 2024)
The Greatest in the Kingdom.
Bible Passage: Matthew 18:1-4
Big Idea: The Least Will Be The Greatest
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Welcome — Activity Leader — 2 minutes
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class and introduce yourselves.
Warm-Up Activity: Silent Sort — Activity Leader — 3 minutes
The leader calls out different groupings and the kids, without talking, will sort themselves into either groups or lines.
Examples: group by hair colour, grade, birthday, first letter of name, etc.
Leaders may need to give extra direction to the kids.
Intro & Bible Story— Bible Story Leader — 5 minutes
Today we’ll be learning more about the Kingdom of God and what it’s like. Last week we learned that God’s kingdom is all around us and that Jesus is the king!
But Jesus isn’t just any king… he’s different than all the other king in the world because he’s a peaceful king who really loves and cares about all of us. That’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?
Today we’ll be learning about who is the greatest in God’s kingdom. Who would you think is the most important in a kingdom?
Video Lesson — 5 minutes
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader — 5 minutes
What did Jesus say when his friends asked him who will be the greatest in the Kingdom of God?
Do you think that little children have a lot of power in the world? Are there things that you can or can’t do as a kid?
Have there been times when you feel like you were not treated fairly or that someone else was treated better than you? Do you think we’ll all be treated fairly in God’s kingdom? Why / why not?
What do you imagine God’s kingdom to be like?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader — 1 minute
“Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about how in your kingdom everyone is treated fairly and nobody is more special or important than anybody else. Thank you that we have a king like Jesus who sees children as being so special that everyone should try to be like a little kid. Please help us to always treat others fairly and kindly just like you do for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Craft: Paper Chains — Activity Leader — 7 minutes
Kids will decorate their paper chains with paint or markers.
If a child is not interested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Free Play — Both — 7 minutes
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver
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Welcome —Both— 3 minutes
Have the children sit near the TV. Welcome them to class. Introduce yourselves .
Warm Up Activity: Silent Sort — Activity Leader — 3 minutes
The leader calls out different groupings and the kids, without talking, will sort themselves into either groups or lines.
Examples: group by hair colour, grade, birthday, first letter of name, etc.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader —5 minutes
Today we are continuing our series on the kingdom of God and what makes it so different from any other kingdom in the world.
Last week we learned that Jesus is the king of this kingdom, but that he is a very different kind of king… one who even called himself a servant and who was willing to give up his own life for the people.
Today we’ll be finding out about who is the greatest in God’s kingdom. In a regular kingdom in the world, who do you think is seen as the most important? Who would be seen as the least important?
Video Lesson — 5 minutes
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader — 5 minutes
When Jesus’ disciple asked him who is the greatest in the kingdom, what did Jesus say?
What do you think Jesus meant when he said that anyone who wants to be great in the kingdom should be like a little child? What are some things about children that everyone should try to follow? (trust, dependence, humility…)
In our world, do children have a lot of power? Are there things that you can’t do as a child? What are some examples?
Have there been times where you’ve been treated unfairly or you felt like someone else was treated better than you? How are things different in God’s kingdom?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader — 1 minute
“Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about how in your kingdom everyone is treated fairly and equally, and nobody is seen as more important than anyone else. Thank you for how Jesus turns things around, where those with the least power in our world, even little children, are treated as special and important in your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Craft: Paper Chains — Activity Leader — 10 mins
Kids will decorate their paper chains with paint or markers.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver
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Welcome and Warm-Up — Activity Leader— 5 minutes
Welcome the kids to class, introduce yourselves.
Game: Categories
Break the group up into 2-3 teams, give them a chart (will be printed out) and have them write down the easy categories that you pick.
Pick a letter and set a minute timer. Kids will work together to list words for each category that begin with the chosen letter.
A point will be granted for each answer as long as no one else has guessed the same thing.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader —5 minutes
Today we will be continuing our new series on the Kingdom of God. What are some things that you’ve learned about God’s kingdom so far? Who is the king of the kingdom? What makes Jesus different from any other king in the world? (Jesus is a servant king who was willing to give up his own life for the people)
Video Lesson — 4 minutes
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader — 5 minutes
What did Jesus say when his disciples asked him who would be the greatest in the kingdom of God?
What do you think are the qualities of little children that Jesus was pointing to as an example for everyone to follow if they want to be great? (ie. humility, dependence, trust…)
Would you say that children have a lot of power in our world? Are they sometimes treated as sort of inferior to adults? How so?
What do you think of God’s kingdom flipping things around, with the least being the greatest and those who want to be great needing to be like a servant to all?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader — 1 minute
“Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about how in your kingdom, we are all treated as equal and nobody is greater or more important than anybody else. In fact, if anyone wants to be great in your kingdom, then they have to humble themselves and serve others, just like Jesus did. Please help us to see how valuable we are in your eyes, no matter how powerless or insignificant we may feel at times. Please help us to be more like little kids, full of humility, trust and dependence on you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Craft: Paper People — Activity Leader — 10 minutes
Kid will cut out and decorate their own paper people.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver
