Over the Top 5 Teacher's Manual Sample by Youthworks

Leader’s manual OT5 Who is Jesus? From John’s Gospel

Contents

How it works

Unit introduction

The biggest breaking news

John 1

Food that lasts

John 6:1–14,35–48

Light in the darkness

John 8:12–9:41

The greatest love

John 10:11,14–15

The one who brings true life

John 11

The Messiah enters Jerusalem

John 12:1–36

Life to the max

John 13:1–14:6

The true vine

John 15:5,9–17

Jesus pays the price

John 18–19

Victory

John 20–21

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How it works How the sessions are structured Bible passage: All sessions are Bible-focused

Aim This is the ‘big idea’ to be taught during this session. It is child-oriented.

Outcomes These statements break down the aim into ‘do-able’ chunks. There are generally only three, so that the leader can keep them in mind and check up later whether or not they were achieved. They are broken up into: • knowledge – information, concepts, beliefs • understanding – more personal ways of grasping the concepts in the session • life application – ways of making links between knowledge and children’s lives, and reflecting on what kind of change might happen in response to God’s word.

Memory verse This verse will be based on the CEV Bible and will be taught during the session.

Notes These notes for the leader give Bible context and background. There are hints regarding the theology of the passage, where it fits in salvation history and how it may properly be applied to both leader and child. There might also be comments about the management of the session content and special comments when needed about visual aids and activities.

Leader’s prayer This section links to the aim and outcomes, mentioning the way this session will actually call for a response from the child and make a difference in their lives.

Gear A list is given at the beginning of the session including all the equipment needed by the leader and when it will be used. Some items will be given as optional.

Start up During this time activities occur that introduce the theme, aim and ideas of the session. There may be a few activities to choose from. Each activity has a specified purpose.

Chat time This short section is when the activities are over and the leader and children reflect on what the activities were about and how they lead into the Bible focus time. This will often involve a few open-ended questions. NOTE: Sometimes during Bible focus time there will be a special comment to the leader about an issue that may come up during the session.

Get ready This section gives hints about important preparation to be done before the session starts.

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Bible focus

of the stage of their faith, they can be called on to respond and encouraged to know how God’s word challenges them to change. Application should always be ‘grace-oriented’ and ‘gospel-based’.

Links ?

Links are made with previous learning which may involve the Memory verse or a previous session.

This icon shows you where in the session the children will be reading, listening to and interacting with the Bible.

Links with life will also happen at this introductory part of the session. Connections with life are raised and the children are encouraged to discuss ‘real life’ situations they face. We will raise the issue here and it will be drawn to a conclusion during Bringing it together.

Digging deeper This section has suggested extension learning activities for older or more able children. It still seeks to be directed by the aim and outcomes. It will usually be Bible-based.

Teaching time This is the body of the session. It involves teaching and learning activities. Activities are usually integrated into this time rather than having them as an add-on later. During this time the aim and the outcomes of the session are directing the activities. What the leader actually says to the children is presented in bold text. Directions to the leader are in normal type. In this part of the session we aim to have the children interacting with the Bible themselves. We seek to unpack the Bible passage in its context and place it in the big picture of salvation history. Concepts and activities are designed to be ageappropriate and not too abstract. It is understood that such a wide age-range is a great challenge, so in many ways we aim for the middle group of nine and ten year olds. Older or more able children will be challenged by the Digging deeper activities. Application is an important part of this section and it is done carefully, while being true to the passage and to the developmental needs of the children. There must be a ‘crunch’ for the child – a place where ‘the rubber hits the road’ in their lives. They are called to respond to the challenge of the passage, without ever being manipulated or inappropriately pushed into an uncomfortable situation. Regardless

Music spot Various songs, on readily available CDs, are suggested to link into the session and to provide a high-interest flow to the activities.

Bringing it together This section is really important. The leader is encouraged to allow enough time for this as connections are discussed that impact the children’s lives. There may be open-ended questions that encourage children to respond in their own terms. We are aiming for honest responses from the children.

Prayer This will normally follow Bringing it together and allows for the issues highlighted by the children to be prayed about. Leaders will model prayer and also teach children how to pray – both for themselves and for others, and for issues in the wider world.

Think about it

Think ahead

Here the leader is encouraged to think through issues that occurred in the session and reflect on possible strategies for the future.

This is a very brief indication of what the leader will need to plan ahead for next session. It may involve equipment, people and so on.

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Unit introduction

Who is Jesus? From John’s Gospel

Unit aim To help the children understand who Jesus is and the significance he has for their lives.

Unit outcomes By the end of this unit the children will: • know the key aspects of John’s account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus • understand the claims of Jesus as to who he is and why he is of such importance in the lives of his followers • be encouraged to follow Jesus as the Lord of their lives.

Memory verses Sessions 1–2 I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty. John 6:35 (CEV) Sessions 3 Jesus said ‘I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life’. John 8:12 (CEV) Sessions 4,6 I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep. John 10:11 (CEV) Sessions 5 I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I won’t be afraid. You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe. Psalm 23:4 (CEV) Sessions 7 I am the way, the truth and the life … without me no-one can go to the Father. John 14:6 (CEV) Sessions 8 Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. John 15:12 (CEV) Sessions 9 Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross. Then God gave Christ the highest place and honoured his name above all others. Philippians 2:8,9 (CEV) Sessions 10 God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us even though we were sinful. Romans 5:8 (CEV)

We encourage the children to understand that Jesus is truly the Son of God, who came to earth to die for us. Salvation is found only in him.

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Bible background Looking at the fourth Gospel we are immediately struck by the distinct nature of John’s account of the life of Jesus, and the different emphases from that of the other three Gospels. Written around 90-95 AD, John’s account is deliberately set against the false prophets who have been denying that Jesus is God in human flesh, and that his death and resurrection can bring about salvation. The failure of these false prophets to love others is another thing that John wishes to counteract, by highlighting the way to live a life following Jesus. This unit aims to present to the students just who it is that Jesus claims to be. It emphasises the key miracles, or signs that Jesus performs, along with the famous ‘I am’ sayings, that tell us who we are dealing with. John wants to show that Jesus is not only the long-awaited Messiah, but the Son of God himself. There is an attempt to explain the significance of these claims, while giving the children the opportunity to see the relevance of Jesus to their lives now. If Jesus is who he says he is, then it makes sense to follow him now. The obedience and commitment of the disciples is something that is given attention, as a prompt for us to do likewise. The humanity of Jesus is given much attention by John. We hear of a Jesus who gets thirsty, gets tired, who cries. When his side is pierced, it gushes water and blood. As children come to realize that Jesus was God in human flesh, they may put their trust in him as someone who understands their world, including their frustrations, fears and hopes.

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Where this fits in God’s plan of salvation

hunger, may they remember the one who said, ‘I am the bread of life’. When they experience the darkness of human existence and struggle, may they return to the one who is ‘the light of the world’. When they experience their own and other people’s sin, may they return to the ‘lamb’ who comes to take away the sin of the world. And as they come to address all of the big questions of life, may they stay close to he who is ‘the resurrection and the life’. Authentic lives, based on trust in Jesus, may begin here, in even an elementary understanding of these huge claims of Jesus. The hope is that this unit will contribute to such an understanding.

Faith development Children grow and develop physically, emotionally, cognitively and spiritually at different rates and in different ways. This unit aims to encourage growth in faith for each child at their own pace. No matter where each child is at in their faith development, they can be challenged to respond in faith to God and in obedience to the way he wants them to live. Faith has been described as having four aspects: believing, imagining, trusting and doing. (See Children finding faith by Francis Bridger, SU, England, 2000, available from CEP.) Believing involves having faith in the truth of the gospel and a reliance on the promises of God in Christ. Imagining involves creatively exploring our beliefs. Trusting involves the relational side of faith. Doing is the way we act as an outworking of our faith. Children, like adults, benefit from learning approaches that involve exploring faith from each of these four aspects. These sessions have been written with this in mind.

Looking closely at John’s Gospel can be a great help in growing into an understanding of Jesus. As the children make their way in the world, the hope is, that they will come to recognize the deep significance that relationship with Jesus can bring. When children come to know physical and spiritual

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Special features Visual aids

Digging deeper

The Leader’s pack includes: a Leader’s manual with ten sessions seven full-colour A3 Leader’s posters three full-colour A3 Memory verse posters a sample children’s Palestine news logbook. Extra logbooks may be purchased from CEP so every child can complete the pages associated with the sessions. • a set of photocopiable masters to cover the topic of each session. • a variety of Visual aids and activities for each session.

This section is designed for more able children who want to dig deeper into the session content. These activities are usually Bible-focused and involve good reading skills and literacy. If you have a multi-aged group, these ideas can be used to challenge children who feel they have ‘heard it all before’.

• • • •

Palestine news logbook Each week a number of activities for the children are included in the Palestine news logbook. This carries through a theme of being part of a media team investigating the events of Jesus’ ministry. Children explore different aspects of the lessons, and are reminded of the key Bible teachings. The logbooks are handed out by the teacher each week, and collected again. The children can take home their logbooks at the end of the unit, as a full record of what they have learned about Jesus’ ministry and who he claimed to be.

Bibles It is intended that during each session the children will read the Bible for themselves and think about how they can respond to its message. It is strongly recommended that children begin to handle the Bible for themselves, learn their way around it and discuss what it means. The Contemporary English Version (CEV) is recommended as it uses everyday language that should be easy for the children in this age group to understand.

Relationships As children of this age grow in faith, their relationships with other Christians will be very important. You have an important role as an example to them. Be warm and genuine in your relationships with the children. Pray for them and their concerns. Invite other Christians of various ages to visit and meet the group. It would be especially helpful for young people, a few years older than the children in your group, to meet them. Help the children see where they are heading as part of the community of God’s people.

Activities Each session contains many suggested activities, either to begin the session in Start up or to reinforce the Teaching time. When choosing the activities you will include in each session, consider the number of children in your group, their individual skills, as well as the time and space you have available. Try to encourage a wide range of activities so that the different learning skills of the children will be catered for. A Memory verse activity is included in each session and presented in an interactive way so that the children will begin to build their own personal store of Bible verses.

Photocopiable masters The set of photocopiable masters include Memory verse ideas and worksheets. Encourage the children to take home the appropriate photocopiable each week as this helps parents and carers to know what is being treated in the sessions. Purchase of the Leader’s pack entitles you to make one copy for each member of your group.

Music spot Music spot is used in each session as a way of changing pace, adding interest and reinforcing the concepts of the session. The recommended CDs are: • Promises, promises, CEP • Tomb breaker, CEP • Practise being godly, Colin Buchanan • Follow the Saviour, Colin Buchanan • Jesus rocks the world, Colin Buchanan • Remember the Lord, Colin Buchanan • The king the snake the promise, Emu Music • How cool is that!, Johnny Burns • Praise crazy, Johnny Burns These CD’s are available from CEP.

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The biggest

breaking news

John 1

Aim To help the children understand the great news of Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah who takes away the sin of the world.

Outcomes By the end of the session the children will: • recognize the claim that Jesus was the Messiah the Old Testament had pointed towards • understand the significance of Jesus’ coming as understood by John the Baptist and the first disciples • be challenged to consider the importance of the claim that Jesus was the Son of God who had come to take away the sin of the world.

Memory verse I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty. John 6:35 (CEV)

Notes Read John 1. The opening of the Gospel of John presents us with the famous prologue of verses 1–18. This introduces all the major themes that will follow in the Gospel, the divinity of Christ, who is the Word of God, and the conflict between the light and the darkness. There is also the witness of John the Baptist and the rejection of the Word by those who should have welcomed him. There are startling claims as to who Jesus is. He is presented as the source of all life in creation. He is the one who can bring light to a dark world. He is indeed God himself, come to earth in human form to bring the truth of God to people on earth. John the Baptist gained a large following (Matthew 3:5), but he saw his role as pointing to Jesus, whom John knew to be so much greater than himself. ‘I’m not good enough to untie his sandals’, said John (John 1:27). John identified Jesus as ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). This aspect of the identity of Jesus will be a focus of the session. John the Baptist indicated that

Jesus was the one he had been speaking about. When he saw the Spirit descend on Jesus he knew that he was the Son of God. In our passage for this session we see the first of the disciples to follow Jesus – Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael. Following on from John the Baptist’s instruction and having met Jesus themselves they were convinced that Jesus was in fact the long awaited Messiah that the Old Testament had promised. This is the biggest news imaginable for the Jewish people, although as will be seen, they did not all recognise him, or put their faith in him.

Leader’s prayer Thank God for each of the children in the group. Thank him for his word and the way that it can lead us to Jesus, and give us a guide to live our lives by. Thank him that Jesus has come to take away our sin, and pray that the children will come to an understanding of just who Jesus is, and what significance he has for our lives now.

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Gear q A camera q A copy of the What I know about Jesus photocopiable (page 14) for each child q Leader’s poster 1 (TV news) q A CEV Bible marked at John 1 q A copy of the Visual aids of John the Baptist and the Lamb of God (pages 15–16) q A copy of the Interview photocopiable (page 17) for each child q Any props you choose to use in the interview role-play q CEV Bibles for the children q A Palestine news logbook for each child q CD player and CD of choice q Gear for selected activities

Get ready Make copies of the What I know about Jesus photocopiable (page 14) for each child; also one copy each of the John the Baptist and Lamb of God Visual aids (pages 15–16). Prepare for the interview role-play. Copy page 17 for each child, and make a few extra copies for helpers. To stage the interview, the leader should play the role of presenter. If possible, ask some adults, or older youths from the congregation to play the role of the disciples. Clearly some brief rehearsal time would be an advantage. Bring a camera to this session to take a passport sized photograph of each child in the group. This will be used from next session onwards. The photographs will be used to make up a ‘media pass’ for each of the children.

Start up Choose one or more of these activities for the time you have available. These are fun and interesting activities designed to introduce the topic or theme of the session. Please note that Chat time is an important component of the session and should be completed immediately before moving into Bible focus.

Guess who? Purpose: To introduce the children to each other and to you, and to begin to develop a sense of group cooperation. Gear q Two strips of paper and a pen or pencil for each child q Hat or bowl Give each child two slips of paper and pen or pencil. Introduce this activity by saying that there are two things about you that you bet no-one will be able to guess. Take guesses from the group. Finally reveal the two things (for example, you have parachuted, you met the queen, you were born in Chile, you have ten brothers and sisters). Ask the children to write on each slip of paper something unusual about themselves – but it must be true! (For example, which country they were born in, their pet’s name, their favourite colour, their favourite sport.) Place all the slips into the hat/bowl. Invite one child to choose and read a slip. The group should try to guess who wrote it.

Quiz run Purpose: To encourage the children to begin thinking about who Jesus is and how significant he is. Gear q Signs reading ‘yes’, ‘no’, and ‘don’t know’. q Prepared questions relating to Jesus requiring ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers Place the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ cards at opposite ends of the room and the ‘don’t know’ card in the middle. The children listen to the questions, decide what they think, then run to the appropriate sign to indicate their answer. The questions should centre on who Jesus is, and what he did and said. Include questions as ‘Did Jesus claim to be the Messiah?’ and ‘Did Jesus have brothers?’ and ‘Did

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the disciples say that Jesus was the King of the Jews?’ ‘Was Jesus just a good teacher?’ and so on.

Photos Either here or at another convenient time in the session, take an individual photograph of each child in the group. This photograph should be as close to passport size as you can make it. Develop the photos by next session where they will be used to create a ‘media pass’ for each child. If you like, take other shots of the group as a whole. Also as the children do various activities take less formal shots. These could then be displayed on a large piece of cardboard in your area throughout the unit.

Chat time Lead the following discussion. There are many things that Jesus said and did. Even though he lived two thousand years ago, he still has a huge influence on people’s lives today. It is important to find out about Jesus so we can work out if he is worth following or not.

or Messiah would be like. They were probably beginning to think he would never arrive. Imagine being part of a large news team. What sorts of jobs are there to do in a news team for a big television station? (Accept responses – there are many possibilities here – camera operators, sound and light technicians, reporters, drivers, researchers, writers, presenters, editors and so on.) We are going to imagine that we are a part of a big news team in first-century Palestine. We will have to use our imaginations, because of course there wasn’t any television in the First Century! We have been asked to find out about Jesus – who he is, what things he has been doing and what he has been saying. We are following up the rumour that is going round that Jesus is the Messiah that the Jews have been waiting for, for hundreds and hundreds of years. Display Leader’s poster 1. Tell the children that as a group you are going to be reporting the news of Jesus of Nazareth as it unfolds in John’s Gospel.

Bible focus

NOTE: Messiah

Links ?

Today we begin looking at the life of Jesus. You have all heard of Jesus, and some of you know more about him than others. There are lots of things to know. Hand out copies of the What I know about Jesus photocopiable from page 14. On this sheet the children should write down all they know about what Jesus said, and what Jesus did. When the activity is complete, volunteers could share some of their thoughts. We want to know more about Jesus – who he claimed to be, what sorts of things he did and said. Also, we want to learn more about the world that Jesus came into. That’s where the Bible can help us. We know that when Jesus arrived on the scene the Jews were being ruled over by the mighty Roman Empire. They had been waiting for a rescuer for hundreds of years, and were looking forward to the day when their king would rule for them. There had been lots of predictions in the Old Testament telling them what their king

The word Messiah is a Hebrew word meaning ‘anointed one’, referring to the practise of pouring oil on the head of a person chosen to serve God. In the CEV it is usually translated as ‘chosen one’. The king is the one most often called ‘anointed one’ (1 Samuel 10:1; 16:1,13). The psalms (see Psalm 2 and 7) indicate that God’s ‘chosen one’ or ‘son’ is responsible for establishing God’s justice and peace on the earth. Part of this was rescuing victims of injustice such as the poor. God had told David that one of his descendents would always be king (Psalm 89:4). When Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 BC the kingdom of David’s descendants seemed to have ended. Hundreds of years later, after the exile, people were still discussing the restoration of David’s line when the Christians were claiming that Jesus was the Messiah who had rescued the poor and established peace by inviting all people into God’s kingdom. In John’s Gospel, the claim that Jesus was the Messiah brought Jesus into conflict with the Jewish authorities.

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Teaching time

Our News team has been lucky enough to have some of these first disciples in the studio for an interview. Let’s go to this interview now.

When John began his Gospel, he wrote a summary of Jesus’ life. Show the children John 1 in your CEV Bible. In that summary, he said that Jesus was around from the beginning of creation. He said that Jesus could bring light into a dark world. Most importantly, he said that Jesus was God himself who had come to bring the truth of God to the people of earth.

Hand out copies of the Interview photocopiable (page 17). Read through the interview with the helpers you have invited to play the different characters.

Digging deeper Older or more able children could spend some time considering what it means to say that Jesus is the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. John predicted that Jesus would be led like a lamb to be slaughtered in order to restore God’s people.

What do you think he meant by saying that Jesus brought light into the world? (Accept responses – Jesus came to help solve the things that were wrong with the world.) The story begins with a guy called John the Baptist. He had been sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah, or the ‘chosen one’. He was preaching about the Kingdom of God and telling people to repent and to turn back to God.

They could look up the following verses: Isaiah 53:4–12 Exodus 12:1–12 (The ‘lamb’ refers to the Passover lamb that was killed by the priests at the feast of the Passover that was celebrated each year to remember God’s rescue of his people from Egypt.)

Lots of people followed this John around. They thought he was a prophet who had been sent by God to his people.

Exodus 29:38–46 (The sacrificial lamb for sin.)

Display the John the Baptist Visual aid (page 15). Some people thought that John might have been the Messiah, but he said no. He said he was only preparing the way for the Messiah to come. Listen to what he said about the Messiah. Read John 1:27 from a CEV Bible. What does this tell us about the one who was to come after John? (Accept responses – he was extremely important.) When John saw Jesus coming he declared ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’. He also said that Jesus was the ‘Son of God’.

1 Corinthians 5:7 (The apostle Paul describes Jesus as the Passover Lamb who has already been sacrificed.)

Palestine news logbook Gear q The children’s Palestine news logbooks q Coloured pens and pencils Hand out the Palestine news logbooks and invite the children to fill in their personal details. They should then go on to complete page 2.

Display the Lamb of God Visual aid (page 16).

Collect the Logbooks again ready for next session.

What do you think he meant by this? (Accept responses – The Bible teaches that Jesus came to take the sin of the world upon himself.)

Music spot Choose from the following songs.

This was an amazing time to be alive. This was extraordinary news that John the Baptist was telling everyone. Could this be the promised Messiah? It wasn’t long before Jesus started to attract some followers – people who believed what John was saying about Jesus, and who put their faith in him.

Are you ready, track 7 of CEP’s Promises promises CD. Whoop whoop doodeedoo, track 6 of CEP’s Promises promises CD. Jesus rocks the world, track 2 of Colin Buchanan Jesus rocks the world CD. Never get hungry, track 8 of Johnny Burns Praise crazy CD.

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Memory verse I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty. John 6:35 (CEV) Invite one child to the front of the room. Whisper to them a word from the Memory verse and have them line up. Once all the words have been given out, the children say their word so that everyone can hear the entire Memory verse. What do you think Jesus meant by this? (Accept responses.) In the weeks ahead, we are going to find out more about what Jesus said and did.

Make a microphone

of John the Baptist proclaiming that Jesus is the ‘Lamb of God’. What did the disciples say about their early meetings with Jesus? (Accept responses – focus on the Andrew saying that they had found the Messiah, the Christ, and on Philip telling Nathanael that they had found the one that Moses and the Prophets had written about.) What was the biggest news about Jesus that John was announcing? (Accept responses – he was the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sin of the world.) This is big news for the world. It is big news for you and me too! As we begin our study of John, we will be looking more deeply at who Jesus was, and what this means for us today. Don’t forget that this is the biggest story ever!

Gear q Cardboard rolls q Ping pong balls q String and masking tape

Media challenge

Make a microphone for the children to use in mime or take home. On top of a cardboard roll, tape a ping pong ball or scrunched up paper. Tape some string on the bottom for the ‘cord’.

Bringing it together Sometimes there are days when a story breaks that is so big, it has all the television stations reporting it, all the radio broadcasts focus on it, and the newspapers blast it across their front pages. Who can think of a story that has been like this? (Accept responses.) Today we have heard about the early stages of the biggest story imaginable. This is the story

Gear q Audio tape and recording equipment q The Interview photocopiable (page 17) Some of the children may like to go back over the Interview script and record it onto audio tape. They can play it back to themselves or to their parents at the end of the session.

Prayer Thank God for each of the children in the group. Thank God for John’s recounting of the story of Jesus, and that he chose to come to earth as a human being, to take away the sins of the world. Pray that the meaning of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection will become clearer as you study John’s Gospel.

Think about it

Think ahead

Did the children gain a sense of the enormity of the claim that Jesus was the Messiah? Did they begin to consider the relevance of this message for today?

You will need Leader’s poster 2 and ‘I am sayings’ photocopiable. Cut out the first saying from the photocopiable and have it ready to attach to Poster 2. Also you will need a copy of the Media Pass photocopiable and the Newspaper photocopiable (pages 24–25) for each child, and the children’s Palestine news logbooks. You will need the passport size photographs of each child that you took this session. Also some food to use during Bible focus (page 22). Check Gear for Session 2 (page 20).

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ÂŠ CEP 2004 The purchaser of the Over the top OT5 manual is entitled to photocopy this page for use with his or her group. Over 14 the top

ÂŠ CEP 2004 The purchaser of the Over the top OT5 manual is entitled to photocopy this page for use with his or her group. Over 15 the top

ÂŠ CEP 2004 The purchaser of the Over the top OT5 manual is entitled to photocopy this page for use with his or her group. Over 16 the top

Interview role-play Presenter (Sceptical Sam Martin): Good evening everyone, welcome to channel 8’s Palestine National News! Tonight we are joined in the studio by four men who say they are disciples of a man called Jesus of Nazareth. John the Baptist has made some big claims as to who Jesus is. He might be the promised Messiah! And all this about the son of a carpenter from Nazareth. For more on this story we are joined tonight by Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathanael. Gentlemen, welcome to the program. Chorus of sure, no problem, hi, and good evening. Andrew we’ll start with you. What was it about Jesus that first captured your attention? Andrew: Well, I’ve been a follower of John the Baptist for some time now. But he was always on about not being the one to follow. He taught that he was only preparing things for the one who was to come after him. He said this person would be so great that John wasn’t even good enough to tie up his sandals for him. Then one day not so long ago, he saw Jesus coming, and he said, ‘look, here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’. This was an incredible moment. We didn’t really know what he meant, but we knew that Jesus was the one John had been speaking about.

I only had to listen to Jesus to realise there was something special about him. He spoke with God’s authority. I can’t explain it any other way. I have since seen some amazing things while I have been with Jesus. He has power to perform miracles. In my mind there is no other explanation. Jesus is the one. Sceptical Sam Martin: Umm, interesting stuff. Philip, you too were an instant convert to Jesus? Philip: I guess you could say that. I’ve known Andrew and Peter for a long time. We are from the same town, Bethsaida. I have to say that Jesus struck me as the one the Scriptures have spoken about. He has to be the one. He is too powerful to be ignored. I couldn’t wait to tell Nathanael about him. Sceptical Sam Martin: And how did you react to this news, Nathanael? Nathanael: Well, I wasn’t convinced when I first heard about this Jesus. I mean, who ever heard of anything good coming out of Nazareth? Sorry for any of your viewers from there, but really, it isn’t somewhere I would have picked to be the home town of the Messiah!!

Sceptical Sam Martin: Can you describe the moment that you first met Jesus?

But I was proved wrong. Jesus showed me pretty quickly that he was no hoax. He knew things about me that, unless he was from God, he could not have known. Since then, I have seen many more impressive things. This guy is the real deal.

Andrew: I knew straight away that this was the one John had been promising. There was something about him. I knew that I was standing before the Messiah!!

Sceptical Sam Martin: Something tells me this isn’t the last we are going to hear about this Jesus. A viewer’s poll has been set up tonight. You can text-message your answer to the question:

Sceptical Sam Martin: Peter, I understand you are convinced by this Jesus as well. What tells you that he is more than just a wise man?

Could Jesus of Nazareth be the Messiah?

Peter: When Andrew came to tell me he had seen the Messiah, I was hopeful but not expecting too much. We have waited so long for this Christ to appear. But I had also heard John talking about the one who was coming, so I was a little excited as well.

For Yes call 0011 181 131 For No call 0011 181 132 This Jesus will have to do more to convince me. Let us know what you think. Gentleman, thanks for your time, and good luck following Jesus of Nazareth. I’m Sceptical Sam Martin for Channel 8 news. End of interview.