Explore the Bible: Kids - Preschool Tool Kit with Worship by LifeWay Kids

LARGE GROUP WORSHIP Session

FOR THE LEADER

Jesus Came to Help John 3:1-21 The Gospel of John is unique among the four gospels. John’s Gospel includes many unique details. John’s purpose for writing his Gospel was to provide evidence that Jesus Christ was indeed the Messiah, the one and only son of God. John actually begins his Gospel similarly to Matthew, Mark, and Luke with genealogical information, though John begins farther back than any of the others—in the very beginning. God existed in the beginning and John introduces Jesus’ oneness with God in the beginning and then becoming flesh. John identifies Jesus as the Word of God. After introducing Jesus as the Word become flesh, the Gospel of John continues as a series of stories that John recorded so he could show that Jesus was indeed who John claimed He was. The first major story John tells is of a visit to Jesus from one of the leaders of the Jews named Nicodemus. Being a ruler of the Jews meant that Nicodemus was not just a respected member of Jewish life, but he served on the Sanhedrin. This council was comprised of 71 members led by the High Priest. As a member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus would have been well versed in Jewish law and religious life. Nicodemus went to Jesus at night and recognized Jesus as being sent from God. Nicodemus understood that Jesus was a prophet, but he did not grasp yet that Jesus was the Son of God. Further, Nicodemus identified Jesus as a rabbi, or teacher, and put himself in the role of learner. Both of these admissions show that Nicodemus was truly seeking real answers to his questions. Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus led Nicodemus to question the details of eternal life. Jesus clarified for Nicodemus what it meant to be born again. Jesus told Nicodemus real eternal life comes through a relationship with God, which can be gained through trust in God’s plan to send His one and only Son to die for the sins of all people. God sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue us from our sin.

Session 1: Jesus Came to Help

SESSION 1

SESSION FOCUS BIBLE PASSAGE John 3:1-21 BIBLE VERSE John 3:16 BIBLE VERSE PARAPHRASE God sent Jesus to help people know how to be with Him. TEXT TRUTH Jesus came to love and help all people. CHRIST IN CONTEXT The Book of John reveals Jesus’ identity as God in flesh and describes the eternal, allknowing, ever-present, and all-powerful nature of Christ.

JESUS TALKED TO NICODEMUS John 3:1-21 Jesus traveled to many places to teach people. People saw Jesus do amazing things. News about Jesus spread and the people heard about the wonderful things Jesus did. Nicodemus was a leader in Jerusalem and a teacher of the Law. Nicodemus was curious about Jesus. Nicodemus wondered who Jesus was. One night Nicodemus decided to find Jesus and talk to Him. When Nicodemus found Jesus, he said: “Rabbi, we know You are a teacher who has come from God. No one could do what You do if God wasn’t with him.” Jesus cared about Nicodemus. Jesus wanted to help Nicodemus and other people know how they could be with God forever. Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again. Now Nicodemus was very confused! What did Jesus mean? How could a person be a baby two times? Jesus helped Nicodemus understand that people are born the first time as real live people. They eat, sleep, walk, talk, and other people can see them. The second time people are born is when the people believe (have faith) in Jesus. The people still have their bodies like before, but they think and act differently because they love Jesus. It is like they are brand new people! Nicodemus still did not know exactly what Jesus meant, so he listened some more. Jesus said, “God loved everyone so much that He sent Me, His Son, to teach people and show them how to be God’s children. When people believe in Me, they can live with God forever.”

SESSION 1

WELCOME AND SING • Greet the preschoolers with excitement as they come into the room. Play the song “God Loves Us” as the children come into the room. Encourage them to sing along with the song. • Tell the preschoolers to lie down and pretend to sleep. Gently touch a preschooler on the shoulder. Say: “Good morning. Time to wake up!” Encourage that preschooler to help you wake up other friends. Play the song “Help Me, God” quietly while everyone is waking up. Continue until everyone is awake. Repeat several times. • Comment: “We go to sleep at nighttime. One night a man named Nicodemus went to visit Jesus. Today we will learn what Nicodemus and Jesus talked about.”

PRACTICE BIBLE SKILLS • Place both stuffed animals in the bag. Invite two preschoolers to choose an animal from the bag. Encourage the preschoolers to determine which stuffed animal is old and which is new. Ask them to guess which stuffed animal you had first. • Comment: “The old stuffed animal came before the new one.” • Explain: “The Bible is divided into two main parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament tells about things that happened first, before Jesus was born. The New Testament tells about what happened when Jesus was born and after.” • Display the John “Bible Book Card.” • Mention: “Today we will hear a story from the Book of John. John is a book in the New Testament.” • Distribute the Bibles to each pair of preschoolers. Assist the children in opening the Bibles to John.

TOOLS:

• Welcome and Sing: Enhanced CD • Practice Bible Skills: Bibles, “Bible Book Cards” (print item), old stuffed animal, new stuffed animal, bag • Tell the Bible Story: Bibles, Story Picture: “Jesus Talked to Nicodemus” (Pack Item 1) • Follow the Light: Enhanced CD, flashlight • Worship: Enhanced CD, offering basket • Learn the Bible Verse: Bibles, “Bible Verse Markers” (print item), index cards, marker • Listen and Pray: none

BIBLE SKILLS SPOTLIGHT:

• Knows there are two main parts of the Bible—the Old Testament and the New Testament. • Understands that the Bible tells that God sent Jesus to earth. • Knows that the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are divided into smaller parts called books.

TELL THE BIBLE STORY • Ask the preschoolers to stand up if you make a statement related to the daytime, to sit down if you make a statement related to nighttime, and to spin around if it relates to daytime and nighttime. Make the following statements: “The sun is shining. You put on your pajamas. You brush your teeth. You go to church. You look at the moon. You read a book. You go to the park. You go to sleep. You eat breakfast.” • Mention: “We do some things in the morning and some things at night. Listen to hear what Nicodemus did one night.” • Open the Bible to John 3. Keep the Bible open in your lap as you tell the Bible story in your own words.

Session 1: Jesus Came to Help

SESSION 1

• Display the Story Picture. Ask: “When did Nicodemus go and talk to Jesus? What are Jesus and Nicodemus talking about? What did Jesus tell Nicodemus he needed to do?”

FOLLOW THE LIGHT • Shine the flashlight on the floor around the room. Challenge the preschoolers to follow the light. Play the song “Sing! Sing!” while the preschoolers follow the light. Encourage the preschoolers to take turns shining the light. • Remark: “Sometimes at night we see the light from the moon and stars at night. Nicodemus went to see Jesus at night. Jesus came to love and help all people. Jesus wanted Nicodemus to believe in Him.”

WORSHIP • Comment: “God sent Jesus to help us know how to be with Him. God wants us to worship Him. We can worship Him by giving our offerings and singing songs to Him.” • Invite a few preschoolers to pass the offering basket around the room. • Play the song “God Cares for You” while the offering is being collected. Encourage the preschoolers to sing along with the song.

LEARN THE BIBLE VERSE • Place today’s “Bible Verse Marker” in the Bible at John 3:16. Print each word of the Bible verse on the index cards, one word on each card. Number the cards in order. Invite a preschooler to open the Bible at the marker. Read the verse. Guide the boys and girls to say the verse with you. • Distribute the index cards. Assist the boys and girls in putting the cards in order. Suggest they use the numbers. Read the words on the cards. Encourage the preschoolers to say the verse with you.

LISTEN AND PRAY • Remind: “Jesus came to love and help all people. Jesus wanted to help Nicodemus know that God had sent Him to help people. Jesus wanted Nicodemus to believe in Him.” • Lead preschoolers in prayer. Thank God for sending Jesus to help us.

SMALL-GROUP ACTIVITIES

SESSION 1

EXPLORATION STATIONS (45-60 MINUTES) Set up at least three stations to provide choices of multisensory activities and movement for busy preschoolers.

BUILD A SCENE Tools: cardboard brick blocks, cardboard boxes, people figures, doll house furniture, washable markers • Guide the preschoolers to use the blocks to build a scene from today’s Bible study. Allow them to use the markers to decorate the boxes. Encourage the preschoolers to use the people figures and furniture to play out the scene between Jesus and Nicodemus. • Comment: “Jesus came to love and help all people. Jesus answered Nicodemus’s questions. He wanted him to believe in Him.”

GET READY FOR BED Tools: sleeping bags, child-sized robes, Bible, Bible story books • Ask preschoolers what they do each night to get ready for bed. Suggest they put on the robes. Guide them to act out brushing their teeth. Encourage them to look at books in the sleeping bags. Invite preschoolers to choose a book for you to read aloud. • Open the Bible to John 3:16. Read the verse. • Remind: “Jesus came to love and help all people. Nicodemus came to see Jesus at night. Jesus answered his questions. Jesus told him he must be born again. Jesus wanted Nicodemus to believe in Him.”

Session 1: Jesus Came to Help

SESSION 1

SMALL-GROUP ACTIVITIES

DRAW A NIGHT SKY

PLAY A GAME Tools: ruler, book, pencil, calculator, notebook, piece of paper, small blanket

COUNT STARS

• Place the items on the table. Mention how a teacher might use each item.

t Tools: “Count Stars” (prin arker item), 10 clothespins, m

• Cover the items with the blanket. Guide the boys and girls to cover their eyes. Remove one item. Uncover the remaining items. Lead the preschoolers to guess which item is missing. Continue until all the items are gone.

e • Print and cut out th Print s. rd “Count Stars” ca ugh the numbers one thro . ten on the clothespins Lead the preschoolers to count the stars on to each card. Help them ns pi es attach the cloth to the cards with the r of corresponding numbe stars.

• Explain: “Jesus was a teacher. He taught people how to live. Jesus came to love and help all people.”

• State: “Sometimes we see stars at nighttime. sit Nicodemus went to vi Jesus at night. Jesus lp came to love and he all people. Jesus told uld Nicodemus that he wo by have to be born again trusting in Jesus.”

Tools: black construction paper, yellow and white chalk, star stickers • Ask the preschoolers what they might see in the sky at night. Lead the preschoolers to use the chalk to draw the moon and stars on their black pieces of papers. Suggest they use the star stickers to make a night sky. • Mention: “Nicodemus went to talk to Jesus at nighttime. Jesus wanted Nicodemus to believe in Him. Jesus came to love and help all people.”

Preview four sessions at lifeway.com/explorethebible