3rd–5th

March 2-3, 2013

Luke 19:1-9

Jesus and Zacchaeus

Jesus’ love can change anyone!

Hang out with kids (10 minutes): Ask kids about their week. Get kids into groups and play games together. Large Group (30 minutes): Model what it looks like to be engaged in large group. And don’t be afraid to redirect kids who aren’t! Small Group (20-30 minutes): Keep kids in small groups until parents arrive. If you all have extra time at the end, you can review the video and songs together.

***This is a brand new template! Check out the Small Group section to see how it’s changed. Instead of Question/Activity columns, we combined all of small group into one section. Just follow the instructions in chronological order! We hope you’ll find it simpler than jumping from column to column.

As kids leave, encourage them to tell their parents the story of Zacchaeus.

Today we’re learning the story of Zacchaeus and Jesus’ transforming love. Read Luke 19:1-10 (Pg. 1152) ahead of time to make sure you are ready to dig deeper into it during small group. *If you’ve got extra time at the beginning or end, play the song from the LAST slide in the Keynote. We’re not singing it in large group, but it’s a fun song that retells Zacchaeus’ story!

                                                                                                               

1

Goal: To retell the story and emphasize how Jesus’ love can change both us and others! Why? Some kids may not feel good enough to receive Jesus’ love; others might feel like other people don’t deserve it—we want to provide an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to reveal that neither is true!

2

Tip: Let kids get creative with the object storytelling activity. Feel free to have fun with it, but make sure the retelling sticks true to the Bible story.

 

1

CONNECT/REACT 1. Tell me your name and what you liked best about today’s story--or what most

surprised you.

REVIEW ACTIVITY (need your bag of objects) 2. Let’s go around the table and see what we can remember about Zacchaeus. You

each get an object to share with the person next to you (if groups are small, give partners two objects—make sure to use all the objects). I want you to use the object to describe Zacchaeus or tell us a part of his story. You get two minutes to brainstorm with your partner. And don’t worry…we’ll all help you if you get stuck! (Give kids 2 minutes to brainstorm—then ask them about their objects in the order below! Feel free to give them hints; ask friends to help, or pass around the Bible or read a few verses aloud if they get stuck.

a. Ruler--He was short. b. Fake dollar bill—He stole people’s money and was a big bully. c. Angry face image—people were mean to him; nobody liked him d. Tree—Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus so badly that he climbed a tree. e. Fake food—Jesus went to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner! (People probably

weren’t happy about that) f. Heart—Jesus LOVED Zacchaeus, and invited him into his family (as soon as

Zacchaeus wanted to follow him, even before he changed!) g. Smiley face eraser—Zacchaeus was changed by Jesus’ love: he started being

nice to people and giving money instead of taking it.

(Continued on the next page!)

                                                                                                               

 

2

DISCUSS/APPLY

3. Why do you think finding out that Jesus loved him made Zacchaeus change? (Discuss with kids and speculate; you can suggest that Jesus loves us all so much that he even died to rescue us—it’s a love that is perfect; none of us have experienced that outside of Christ. Jesus’ love changes everyone: us and others!)

4. Let’s think about how Jesus’ love could change us: Think of one bad choice you’ve made. It might be what you thought of in large group. What’s one way you could change if you remember that Jesus loves you? (Give a kid-friendly example first. Then try to get kids to give specific examples of changed behavior, like:

a. They disobeyed their parents last week, so they will be obedient this week b. They were mean to a sibling, so they will give that sibling a hug to show love c. They didn’t share with a friend, so they will give that friend a little gift)

5. Let’s think about how Jesus’ love can change others: Now Jesus isn’t on earth to visit

people’s homes, but when we follow Jesus, WE can show his love to others. Can you think of somebody who needs Jesus’ love? Somebody like Zacchaeus—who nobody else really likes, maybe even you? Hold up one finger if you can think of one person who needs Jesus’ love. (Let kids respond.) What are some ways we can show them Jesus’ love this week? (Brainstorm together. Here are some ideas: a) Give that person a compliment b) Invite them to sit with you at lunch, c) Invite them to your birthday party, d) Help them with homework, e) even just smile at them)

*Remind kids that Jesus’ love can change anyone! Then pray together, thanking Jesus that he loves all of us no matter what we’ve done. Ask him to help us show our love to somebody this week! *If you have extra time, use the extra paper to play “Zacchaeus” Pictionary. Split the kids into two teams and ask them to choose somebody to draw. The artist can choose what to draw or you may give them a suggestion (options below—and remember, the opposing team should NOT know what the artist is going to draw) The team opposite of the artist’s guesses. You can award points if you want—or just have fun!

• Zacchaeus in a tree • Jesus at Zacchaeus house • People mad at Zacchaeus • Zacchaeus taking people’s money • Zacchaeus AFTER he has changed • Anything—be creative!

                                                                                                               

Zacchaeus shows us that Jesus’ love changes people in big ways! As you tell the story, make sure to communicate that Jesus’ love changes us and others, and Jesus loves us no matter what we—or others—have done.

Part of today’s script involves bringing up a kid to “play” Zacchaeus. Practice it ahead of time, so you can have fun with getting “Zacchaeus” and the crowd to interact.

1

WELCOME AND INTRO Hi and welcome to Kids’ Club! It’s great to see you all here today. We’ve been talking a lot about what it means to follow Jesus and treat him like our King. It means waking up thinking about Jesus, and it means loving others in CRAZY ways, like being nice to those who hurt us. (Slow your pace and change your volume to really draw attention to the next part): But sometimes… we are mean to people who hurt us, because we’re mad. Other times, WE hurt others or choose not to follow Jesus. I want each of you to think of ONE thing you’ve done that you know was wrong. One bad choice you’ve made. Maybe you were rude to your parents or cheated on a test or left out somebody at school. Don’t tell anybody, but when you have thought of one bad choice you’ve made, hold one finger up high! (Let kids hold up one finger—hold up your own, too!) THE STORY OF ZACCHAEUS Yep, all of us have made bad choices before. And today, we’re going to hear the story of a guy who made a LOT of bad choices. He stole money from everybody in his town, so nobody liked him. But when he realized how much Jesus loved him—even when he had messed up—he chose to change! As we watch, see if YOU can figure out how Jesus’ love changed Zacchaeus. Video: Zacchaeus What a great story! So how did Jesus’ love change Zacchaeus? Turn and tell a friend how Jesus’ love changed Zacchaeus. (Let kids turn and tell a friend.)

                                                                                                               

2

BEFORE Zacchaeus met Jesus, he was not a very nice person to be around. But when Zacchaeus felt Jesus’ love, he started showing that love to others! For him, that meant paying people back for the money he had taken. RELATE TO THE STORY Let’s think about this story by pretending Zacchaeus is a guy in this room, okay? In fact, I need a Zacchaeus! (Ask one kid to come up and be Zacchaeus—have him sit on the corner of presentation area. Give him the wad of fake money.) Alright everybody, pretend this guy stole some money—from each of you. Do you think all of us in this room would like him very much? (Let kids respond: no!) No way! Now, we should love people who hurt us, but it’s hard to do—and the people in Zacchaeus’ town did NOT love him… Then, Jesus came to town! Everyone wanted to see Jesus! Even people who didn’t know Jesus is God’s Son wanted him to do miracles for them! But guess what? When Jesus came, he walked straight up to THIS (point to Zacchaeus) guy. The guy who is taking everybody’s money! How do you think the people in Zacchaeus’ town felt when Jesus showed extra attention to a guy who acted like a big jerk all the time? Turn and tell a friend what you think. (Let kids turn and tell a friend. Then ask 1-3 kids to respond.) Yeah, they probably wondered why Jesus would go home with a mean guy like THIS (point to Zacchaeus)! Instead of somebody “nicer” or “better”! (You can have “Zacchaeus” sit down and get the money from him.) REFLECT ON THE STORY Well, remember, Jesus wants everyone to follow him, even people who have made really bad choices, people nobody else likes. And the best part is, when Zacchaeus found out Jesus loved him, he changed! Suddenly, instead of TAKING money, what did Zacchaeus want to do? (Let kids respond: GAVE it away!) Yep, he gave it! Before he met Jesus, Zacchaeus cared about money more than anything else. Now, he cared about following Jesus more than anything else! That’s the great thing about Jesus’ love! THE BEST PART And you know what’s REALLY cool about this story? What’s really amazing is what Jesus said to Zacchaeus. He said it before Zacchaeus could pay any money back, while everybody in Jericho still hated him: SHOW SLIDE: Luke 19:9 Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to your house. You are a member of Abraham’s family line.”

                                                                                                               

3

When Jesus said, “You are a member of Abraham’s family line,” what he was saying was, “You are a part of God’s family!” Wow! That’s exciting news—the minute a person decides he or she wants to start following Jesus, Jesus invites that person to be a part of God’s family! And no matter what we’ve done, Jesus wants us in his family. Like Zacchaeus, we don’t have to be perfect to join his family! In fact, even the meanest bully at your school or the most horrible person you can think of…could one day join Jesus’ family. That’s how strong Jesus’ love is. It changes anyone and everyone who chooses to accept it. WORSHIP Let’s spend a few minutes worshipping Jesus to show him that we are thankful for his amazing love. Worship Video: Because You Love Me (song with hand motions) Music Video: Come With Me (music video, but there are also simple hand motions) PRAY Ask somebody to come and pray, asking Jesus’ love to change all of us! EXTRA SONG (The LAST slide in your presentation is for room leaders to play at the beginning or end of the service to retell the story. If you have extra time at the end of large group and want to try playing it for the kids—or are in a room that doesn’t allow music during small group very easily—go ahead! It’s called “The Ballad of Zacchaeus.” There are no hand motions, but kids can just listen: it’s a really fun retelling of today’s lesson!)

                                                                                                               

4

THIS PAGE LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY

                                                                                                               

THIS PAGE LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY  

                                                   

1

Adventure Bible (pg. 1152) Per small group: A few sheets of blank paper and markers 1 brown paper bag with the following items:

• Ruler • Fake dollar bill (any amount) • Small printed image of an angry face (image

2

in curric folder) • Small tree (OT: IN-34/1635) • Fake food (any item/can be different for

each) • Heart (small red spongey ones) • Small printed image of a smiley face (image

in curric folder) • Smiley face eraser

1

Small stack of fake money Adventure Bible (pg. 1152)

21

1. Video: God’s Story: Zacchaeus 2. SLIDE: Luke 19:9 Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to your house. You are a member of Abraham’s family line.” 3. Worship Video: Because You Love Me 4. Music Video: Come with Me 5. Extra song: The Ballad of Zacchaeus (mp3 can play on blank slide / available on crossroadskidsclub.net—just click on “music” and scroll down to song; then click “download”)

2

1

None

21

Tell me about Zacchaeus. What does today’s story show us about Jesus’ love?

2

Zacchaeus’ story teaches us a lot about Jesus’ love. Everyone who chooses to receive that love can be transformed—from the nicest kid in the room to the biggest bully. Ask your kid to tell you about it. You can also read about Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10 in the Bible or check out a video of the story at crossroadskidsclub.net.