It’s the Season

The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  Romans 13:11

Props: “Hurricane kit” (radio, batteries, water, first aid kit, blankets, canned food, etc.)

(Hold up the props as you talk about them). 

            It’s that time of year again!  Hurricane season is here.  I hope all of you are preparing at home, just in case we have another hurricane. 

            For years, there were no bad hurricanes in our part of the state.  In fact, none of you were even alive the last time a bad hurricane hit us (before Charley).  I wasn’t even alive when the last bad storm hit our part of the state. 

            Every year I would watch the news and they would tell us we needed to be prepared.  Every year I thought about it.  But after a long time, I didn’t take it seriously.  I didn’t get any supplies together because I didn’t think a storm would ever come.  Then on August 13, 2004 I was taken by surprise.  The weather forecasters said a Hurricane was headed in this direction, but it probably wouldn’t hit us.  Our family put a few supplies together.  Then they said it might hit us.  We started to take it more seriously.  By the time the storm arrived, it was too late.  We didn’t have a battery operated radio.  We lost power, so we didn’t know what was happening.  We had some water, but it got buried in the debris as our ceiling collapsed.  We had food, but it was in the fridge and everything in the fridge got ruined.  We sure learned our lesson!  Thankfully we were kept safe and didn’t get hurt, because we didn’t even have a first aid kit! 

            Now we know better.  Every year before hurricane season, we gather all our supplies and keep them in a safe place.  We find the safest place in our house ahead of time and know to go there in an emergency.  We form our plan of action in advance.    We don’t ever want to be taken by surprise again.  And really, there’s no excuse for being caught off-guard.  We know it’s hurricane season; we should be ready.

            The Bible says that no one but the Father knows the exact time when Jesus will return.  However, we do know that it’s getting close because He told us there were things we could watch for.  He told us to be prepared.  Most people don’t take the warning seriously because it’s been years since Jesus promised He would return.  All of the disciples died and Jesus still had not returned.  Centuries passed…no return.  Now it’s been thousands of years.  We’re still waiting.  But does that mean we give up and stop taking Him seriously?  No way!  We still wait; we still prepare.  We stay ready.  Jesus WILL return. 

            Will you be ready?  After He comes, it will be too late to prepare.  There won’t be any time left.  The only way to be sure is to stay ready, stay prepared.  Don’t let yourself fall asleep in your spirit.  Wake up and be prepared for Jesus’ coming!

Hello Up There… (skit—God’s grace)

Teacher: Imagine someone trapped in a pit…

Offstage voices 1, 2 and 3: Hello up there…Can anyone hear us?  We’re trapped down here in this pit.  Yoo-hoo… (etc.)

Teacher: That’s like we are before we ask Jesus to forgive us for our sins and He comes into our lives.  We are trapped in the devil’s pit–sin.  There’s no way to get out without God’s help.  And there’s no way for these people to get out of this pit without someone helping them.

Offstage voices: (pitifully) Help.  Anyone… We don’t want to be in this pit forever.  Someone please help. 

Offstage voice 4: I hear you need help. 

Voices: Yes! Yes! Yes!  Oh, yes! Right here.  Please help.

Teacher: When God comes he offers His forgiveness because His son Jesus already took your punishment.  He can rescue you from the devil’s trap of sin.  All you have to do is trust in Him to save you.  These people only need to accept the help of the one who is trying to rescue them.

Voice 4: Okay.  I’ll lower this rope and pull you out one at a time.  Ready?

Voice 1:  Uh…This isn’t the type of rescue I had in mind.  I think I’ll just stay in the pit.

Voices 2 and 3: You’re crazy… What?!

Voice 4: Have it your way.

Voice 2: I’m ready.  Lower the rope.

Voice 4:  You don’t have to do anything.  I’ll pull you up.

(Sounds of pulling)

 Voice 2: Thank you so much!  You really did do it all.  You saved my life.  Thank you.

Voice 4: You ready down there?

Voice 3: Yep.

Voice 4: Okay.  Here we go.

(Sounds of pulling)

 Voice 3: Look at me!  I’m safe and sound on the ground.  And just think.  If I hadn’t pulled myself up on the rope, I would still be down there.

Voice 2: But you didn’t do anything! He did all the work!  Some people just don’t get it.

Teacher: Some people won’t take the free gift of God.  He offers to rescue all people who will trust in Him and accept His forgiveness.  But some people won’t do it.  Other people are like that last person we saw.  They let God rescue them, but they think that they did it by being good enough.  The ones who know the truth know that God is the only one who can save and rescue us.  We are saved because He did it all.  It was because He was good to us, and nothing else.  We can’t be good enough on our own.  God does it just because He loves us.

He Saved Us When We Were Dying

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness…1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)

“For the Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost.”  Luke 19:10 (CEV)

Props: pieces of broken glass

            How many of you have ever accidentally broken something?  It’s bad enough when you break something at home, but it’s even worse when you break something at a store.  When you break something at a store, someone has to pay for it.  When I was younger, if I broke something at a store, my parents had to pay for it because I didn’t have the money.  It may not seem fair; they didn’t break it.  But someone had to pay for it.  I couldn’t do it, so they did.

The Bible says that all of us have broken God’s laws.  We’ve all done bad things.  When someone does something bad, someone has to pay.  But like little children, we aren’t able to pay for all of the bad things that we’ve done.  The price is much higher than what we have.  So Jesus paid for all of the times that we’ve broken God’s laws and done bad things.  It wasn’t Him who broke the laws, but He knew that we could never pay for what we had done.  Jesus saved us by taking our punishment.  Jesus is our Savior.

He Rescued Us When We Were In Danger

“For the Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost.”  Luke 19:10 (CEV)

Props: video clip or picture of someone stuck in quicksand

(Play video clip or show picture).

You’ve probably heard stories about quicksand.  Quicksand is formed when sand mixes with lots of water.  Because of all the water, the sand isn’t firm enough to walk on, so anyone who walks on it will sink.  However, the sand in the water makes it impossible to swim in.  The worst thing about quicksand is that it is very difficult to rescue yourself from it.  It doesn’t matter how big, small, smart or strong you may be, you will have a very hard time getting yourself out of quicksand.  The harder you struggle, the quicker you sink.  You almost always have to have help from someone else, or you will never make it out.  And if the only people around you are in the quicksand themselves, you’ll all sink.  Only someone who is not in the quicksand can save you.   

Quicksand is like sin, only it is truly impossible to get yourself out of the sin problem.  You can try to be better, but that won’t save you from your sin.  You can try to sneak around and hope no one sees you, but that won’t help you either.  You can even try to get your friends to help you, but if they’re all stuck in the same sin you are, they can’t help you.  Only Jesus can save you from sin, because He never did anything wrong.  He was never in sin, so He is the only one who is able to get you out of it.  Today if you’re looking for someone to rescue you, go to Jesus.  Jesus is our Savior.   

He Found Us When We Were Lost

“For the Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost.”  Luke 19:10 (CEV)

Props: several blindfolds, piece of paper marked “God”

            Blindfold several children and direct them to the front of the room.  Then place the paper marked “God” on the other end of the room.  Tell the children they must find the piece of paper marked “God” without any help from outside the group.  Don’t tell them where the sign is or give them any clues.  Leave one child in the group without a blindfold, able to see.   

            How are these children going to find the sign?  (Allow for response).  If they have any hope at all of finding the sign, they’re going to have to trust the only one in their group that can see.  They must follow him and trust him completely.  They can’t turn to any other person.  It must be the one who can see.  (Allow the one group member to lead the others to the sign).    

            Jesus is the only One who could ever lead us to God.  He came from God, so He’s the only way to God.  Jesus is our Savior; if it weren’t for Him, we’d still be lost and unable to find our way to God.  We must follow Him and trust Him completely.  Jesus is our Savior.  Follow Him and let Him lead you to God.

Gone In an Instant

Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person.  The past is forgotten, and everything is new.  2 Corinthians 5:17 (CEV)

Props: clock, bubbles

            (Display clock).  Have you ever thought about how quickly time passes?  Think about the last time you went somewhere really exciting.  You probably thought you’d never get there.  Then when you did arrive, it seemed like you were only there for a few minutes and it was time to go.  As you get older, you’ll find that time passes more and more quickly.  (Begin blowing bubbles).  It’s like these bubbles.  They’re so beautiful, but each bubble is only here a short while, then it’s gone.  Everything is like that in our lives.  We ourselves are only here a short while.  Life passes very quickly.

            As we celebrate the New Year, we’re celebrating the passing of time and new beginnings.  People like to say goodbye to the past year and hello to a future full of promise.  They think that when they wake up on January 1, their life will begin fresh and new.  There’s only one way to begin fresh and new, and that is to give your life to Jesus.  Remember, you can start over with Jesus.  You will have the chance to do that before you leave here today.

Don’t Miss the Bus!

So watch! You do not know what day or what hour the Son of Man is coming. Matthew 25:13 (NLV)

Scene: A boy and a girl are waiting at a bus stop.

Boy: Are you going to the big carnival today? 

Girl: I didn’t know there was a carnival.

Boy: You didn’t hear about it?!  It’s going to be great—rides, games, food and I even heard there’s going to be a big concert. 

Girl: Where is it?

Boy: Downtown at East Park.  

Girl:  Oh, yeah.  My mom told me about it.  She said I could go if I wanted to.  But I don’t have any money.

Boy: But everything is free!  The bus is coming soon, are you going? 

Girl: I can’t even buy a bus ticket.

Boy: If you’re going to the carnival, the ticket is free.  But you have to go to the counter and pick it up. 

Girl: That’s great!  Sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun.  

Boy: You better go get your ticket.

Girl: Yeah, I’ll get it before the bus comes.  So tell me what kind of rides there are. 

Boy: I’ll tell you all about it later.  The bus is coming around the corner any minute.  You better go get your ticket. 

Girl: I’ve got plenty of time.  Do you know if they’re going to have cotton candy there?  I love cotton candy. 

Boy: Would you stop wasting time?  Go get your ticket!  It’s free…just go pick it up. 

Girl: Yeah, yeah, yeah…

(Sound effects: bus approaching, stopping). 

Boy: I told you.  Why didn’t you just get your ticket? 

Girl: Wait!  Hold the bus!  I’m going to get my ticket now…

Boy: Sorry…the bus won’t wait.  (Boards bus and leaves). 

Girl exits, crying. 

 

Teacher follow-up: Jesus told us that one day He’d return to take us back to the Father.  We will go with Him to Heaven one day if we are ready.  He already paid the price for us to go to Heaven: He died to take the punishment for our sins.  His death on the cross made it possible for us to receive forgiveness for all the bad things we’ve done and go to Heaven forever.  But we must accept His love and forgiveness, turn from our sins and choose to live for God.  He made it possible, but it’s still our choice.  The boy in the skit chose to take his ticket and get on the bus.  The girl thought she had plenty of time.  She wasn’t ready.  She missed the bus and the carnival.  One day Jesus will return.  If we are living for Him, we’ll be ready.  If not, it will be too late.  Now is the time to make the decision to follow Him.  Remember: Jesus is coming back, so stay on track.

Born Again

In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ John 3:3-7 (NIV)

Props: an infant baby or baby doll

Look at this sweet little baby. Isn’t he cute? Do you think this baby has ever had to have a spanking? No! He’s not old enough to do anything wrong. Babies are born into newness of life and having done nothing wrong on purpose. However, all of us have done bad things, even little children. If we wanted to be pure we’d have to start our lives all over again.
Jesus once told a man that if He wanted to live forever, he had to be born again. The man got very confused and asked, “How can I do that? I’m a grown man and I’d never fit into my mother’s stomach again!” Jesus explained that He was talking about starting over in your spirit, or on the inside. When Jesus comes into your life, He forgives your sins and you are like a little baby starting over again. He makes you clean, and it will be like you’ve never done anything wrong. You can start over with Jesus. When you come to Jesus, He gives you the chance to be “born again,” to really start over in life.

Accept the Help

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3 (NIV)

Props: stained white shirt, laundry soap and bottle of bleach

*Emphasize to the children that they should never use bleach without adult supervision.

I brought one of my best white shirts with me today. This shirt is nice and comfortable and it’s one that I wear all the time. It goes with almost everything. Unfortunately, though, it was stained by some really dark juice. How many of you have ever stained your clothes? (Allow for response). Sometimes that happens. But I really need this shirt and I need to get it clean if I’m going to be able to wear it.

This shirt reminds me of our lives. Our lives and hearts are supposed to be clean before God, but they get stained by the bad things we’ve done. The sin and rebellion in our lives, all the anger and backtalking and bad attitudes make us unclean. If we want to live with God forever we have to be clean, so what do we do about the stains of sin that are on our hearts?

Well, with my shirt I tried washing it with my regular laundry detergent. I thought, “This will get all the stains out.” But it didn’t do anything except make the stains a little lighter. Sometimes we try to wash our own sins away by being good. It’s great to be good, but it won’t get rid of the bad things you’ve already done any more than me washing my shirt will get rid of the stains. It takes something more than that.

With my shirt, the only thing I can do is use bleach. Bleach is more powerful than detergent, and it lifts the stains out of the fabric. There is something more powerful than being good that can lift the stains off of our heart: the blood of Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, his blood was spilled and he took our punishment. Forgiveness can only come through him. You will be blessed if you understand that you need God. It’s only when you understand your need for God that you can be forgiven and washed clean of your sins. If you keep trying to do it yourself, you’ll never get clean. Understand today that you need God. Come to Him and ask Him to forgive you for your sins. He will and you will be totally clean.

« Previous Page