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Jesus Wants Us to Serve Willingly7

BIBLE BASIS

In Bible times, washing

the feet of guests when

they arrived was a job

reserved for low-level

household servants. But

Jesus washed and dried

the feet of his disciples

the way the lowest of

servants would usually do.

On this, the night before

his death, Jesus was giving

his disciples—and us—a

memorable example of

what it means to serve

willingly.

Use this session to help

your kids understand that

Jesus wants us to follow

his example as we strive to

serve others with a smile.

Bible Focus: John 13:1-17

Discovery Point: Jesus wants us to serve willingly.

Worship Response: Children will choose to serve others with a willing heart.

Key Verse: “Use your freedom to serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13c).

A Look at the SessionMix and match to meet your needs. For more ideas, see “For-Extra-Time Activities” on page 76.

Session Sequence

What Kids Will Do Supplies

Welcome!(up to

15 minutes)

Prepare and serve a quick snack to each other, and talk about what it means to serve others willingly.

Putting God First: Serving CD and DVD, CD player and TV/DVD player, small paper cups, 2 bowls, goldfi sh crackers, grapes, plastic spoons

Let’s Explore!(up to

25 minutes)

Wash each other’s feet, read John 13:1-17, and discover how Jesus wants us to serve others.

Hands-On Bibles, Putting God First: Serving CD, tubs, hot water, towels, 3x5 cards, pens, CD player

Let’s Praise!(up to

10 minutes)

Praise God in song, and thank him for giving us Jesus to teach us how to serve.

Putting God First: Serving CD or DVD, CD player or TV/DVD player

Let’s Pray!(up to

10 minutes)

Write three situations where it’s hard to serve, and then ask God to help them serve willingly in those situations.

Putting God First: Serving CD, CD player, 3x5 cards, pens

69Session 7 | Jesus Wants Us to Serve Willingly

Before This Session

o Set out a bowl of goldfi sh crackers, a bowl of grapes, plastic spoons, and small paper cups.

o Fill a plastic tub or large bowl with hot water for every four kids.

o Assemble Bible Exploration Kits (one per four kids): one Hands-On Bible and two 3x5 cards and one pen per child.

o Review the “Service With a Smile” activity next to John 13 in the Hands-On Bible.

o CD/DVD Cue the Putting God First: Serving CD (1) or DVD (1).

o Huddle briefl y with volunteers before the session. Answer questions they have. Encourage them, and pray for the session, the volunteers, and the kids.

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TEACHER TIPBible Exploration

Kits are an easy way

to give each group

supplies. The Jabber Mat

from Group Publishing

is a great tool that

can be used as a Bible

Exploration Kit and as a

space for a Bible Crew to

gather. Check it out at

group.com/jabbermat.

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Welcome!

Supplies: small paper cups | plastic spoons | bowl of goldfi sh crackers | bowl of grapes | CD player | TV/DVD player

1. Play CD/DVD “Into the Bible” (1) as kids arrive.

2. When everyone has arrived, SAY: I’m so glad you’re here today! Let’s start with a snack. You have an opportunity to serve others by preparing a simple snack for them.

Have kids wash their hands and count off by fours. The Ones will set out individual cups, the Twos will spoon several goldfi sh crackers into each cup, the Threes will spoon a few grapes into each cup, and the Fours will carry the fi nished snacks to a serving table. Explain that kids will have to concentrate on what they’re doing because they’ll only have a short time to accomplish their task.

Give the starting signal, and call out encouragement to kids.

3. After a minute or two (or whatever will be a short time for your kids to barely accomplish the task), start the DVD “Stopwatch Countdown” (1), and turn the volume way up. Lead kids in counting along. Then have them form pairs, and let partners serve a fi nished snack to each other.

SAY: Thanks for making snacks and serving them to each other just now. You were great servants.

ASK:

• What do you think of when you hear the word servant?

SAY: Sometimes the word servant makes us think of a person who’s hired to serve others: a maid or a butler, for example. But today we’ll learn that’s not what Jesus means by servant. We’ll discover that JESUS WANTS US TO SERVE WILLINGLY, not just because we have to.

ASK:

• What does it mean to do something willingly?

DVDDVDCDCD

See page 15.

If you don’t have access

to a sink, use hand wipes.

SIMPLE STRATEGY

71Session 7 | Jesus Wants Us to Serve Willingly

SAY: So it sounds like Jesus wants us to serve others without complaining, to want to serve others, to be glad to serve others.

One way to serve others is to do what we just did—serve each other food. But there are tons of other ways to serve, and some of them may surprise you. Today we’ll see Jesus serving in a most unusual way. I’ll show you what I mean.

Let’s Explore!

Supplies: prepared tubs of water (see page 69) |towels | CD player | assembled Bible Exploration Kits (see page 69)

1. Have kids form Bible Crews, and have crews each sit in a circle on the fl oor. SAY: In Bible times, people walked everywhere. They didn’t have cars or buses or even bicycles. And since it was usually warm, people wore sandals as they walked along the dusty, muddy roads. There were also a lot of animals that just roamed the streets—donkeys, camels, sheep, goats. And you know they deposited stuff in the road that people stepped in.

If you walked in sandals in those conditions, your feet would be so dirty they’d have to be washed before you entered anyone’s house. That’s why when a guest came to your home, the fi rst thing your servant would do would be to wash the guest’s feet. And when you went to visit a friend, your friend’s servant would wash your feet.

ASK:

• Who do you think would get the job of foot washer at your house? Explain.

SAY: Usually the person who washed feet was the least important servant in the house because nobody wanted that job.

Well, today we’re going to learn about a special evening Jesus spent with his disciples. It was the night before he died—his last meal with them before he was crucifi ed.

Jesus and his friends were preparing to celebrate a special Passover meal. But Jesus got up from the table and did something that shocked his disciples. He acted like the lowest

CD CD

TEACHER TIPSome kids may be

uncomfortable with

this activity. That’s part

of the point. Encourage

every child to participate,

and talk about why it’s

uncomfortable.

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servant in society and washed their feet! There he was, the Son of God, kneeling down to wash his friends’ grimy, smelly feet.

Let’s see what that might have been like.

2. Set a tub of warm water on a towel for each crew, and set out several additional towels for drying. SAY: JESUS WANTS US TO SERVE WILLINGLY the way he did. In your Bible Crew, take turns washing your crew members’ feet. Make sure each person has a chance to wash and a chance to be washed. Because this is a time of personal serving, please respect others by remaining silent.

Begin by washing a child’s feet yourself so kids can see how it’s done. Have the child remove shoes and socks, sit on a chair, and place both feet in the tub. Gently splash water on the child’s feet, and then dry them with a towel.

Softly play CD “Fairest Lord Jesus” (5) in the background as kids wash one another’s feet.Softly play CD “Fairest Lord Jesus” (5) in the background as kids wash one another’s feet.

73Session 7 | Jesus Wants Us to Serve Willingly

3. When everyone has fi nished, set aside the tubs and towels. Have kids discuss these questions in their crews.

ASK:

• What were your thoughts and emotions as someone washed your feet?

• What was it like to wash another person’s feet?

• Why do you think this experience was a little uncomfortable?

SAY: It’s not always easy or comfortable serving another person, especially when it involves washing feet. And it’s not always easy to let someone else serve you, either.

In fact, when Jesus washed his friends’ feet, not everyone was comfortable with it. Let’s dig deeper.

4. Have kids take the Hands-On Bibles from the Bible Exploration Kits. Ask kids to take turns reading aloud the verses in John 13:1-17 in their crews.

Then ASK:

• Why do you think Peter was upset when Jesus washed his feet?

• Why do you think Jesus chose this particular action—washing his friends’ feet—for a lesson on serving?

SAY: Washing his friends’ feet was a perfect way for Jesus to show how to be a servant. After all, it was a job an unimportant servant should have been doing. Plus, washing someone’s dirty and dusty feet wasn’t the most pleasant job.

But Jesus wanted to show that we should be willing to place ourselves lower than other people in order to serve them. If Jesus, the Son of God, was willing to lower himself to serve others, we should be willing, too.

5. Have kids turn to the “Service With a Smile” activity in their Hands-On Bibles and take pens and 3x5 cards from their Exploration Kits. Ask kids to read the activity and write their service ideas on a 3x5 card.

When kids have fi nished writing, ask them to share their service ideas with their crews.

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SAY: I hope you follow through with the ideas you wrote. That will make you super servants! Right now let’s praise God for giving us Jesus, the greatest servant ever!

Let’s Praise!

Supplies: CD player or TV/DVD player

1. SAY: JESUS WANTS US TO SERVE WILLINGLY. One way we serve God is by singing praises to him. As we praise God, sing with a servant’s heart, showing God how much you love and want to obey him.

2. PLAY: CD/DVD

• “Fairest Lord Jesus” (5)

• “Servant of All” (Mark 9:35b) (7)

Let’s Pray!

Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits (see page 69) | CD player

1. Have kids take pens and the remaining 3x5 cards from their Bible Exploration Kits. SAY: Jesus set a wonderful example of serving. Let’s spend some time talking to him about how we can follow his example.

Think of three specifi c situations where it’s hard for you to serve willingly. Maybe you always complain about doing a certain chore or you don’t like reading to your sister when your parents ask you to. Write or draw those three situations on a card. Then ask God to help you serve willingly in those three situations this week, and write or draw what that would look like.

DVDDVDCDCD

CD CD

75Session 7 | Jesus Wants Us to Serve Willingly

2. Softly play the instrumental version of CD “Servant of All” (Mark 9:35b) (15) in the background. After kids fi nish writing and praying, close your prayer time by thanking God for sending Jesus to show us how to serve willingly.

High Fives

Supplies: none

As kids leave, encourage them to give servant high fi ves. They can high fi ve with one hand, and hold the other hand palm up, as if carrying a serving platter.

As kids leave, encourage them to give servant high fi ves. They can high fi ve with one hand, and hold the other hand palm up, as if carrying a serving platter.

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For-Extra-Time Activities

THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE Supplies: CD player

Ask kids to read the intro page for any book of the Bible and create a motion for that book. For example, kids could make a motion for rain for Genesis or do a beauty pageant wave for Esther. Play CD “The Books of the Bible Song” (8), and have kids do all the motions they have learned.

CREATE A BIBLE DICTIONARYSupplies: paper | markers | dictionary

Ask kids to design one or more new pages, each with a new word, for the Bible Dictionary. Ask for ideas of new words from today’s session—protest and servant are two suggestions. Have them write the word on a sheet of paper in fun letters, add a defi nition, list Scripture references, and make illustrations. Add each page to a three-ring binder, and watch the dictionary grow!

KEEP SMILINGSupplies: large plain stickers | fi ne-tip markers | scissors

Have kids make stickers to remind them that

JESUS WANTS US TO SERVE WILLINGLY. Let kids cut smile shapes out of large plain stickers. Have them write or draw something on the smile shape to remind them to serve willingly and cheerfully. Encourage kids to place their stickers somewhere to remind them to serve willingly.

PASS IT ONSupplies: washcloths | permanent markers

Have kids each write or draw something on a washcloth to remind them of how Jesus served by washing his disciples’ feet. Then have kids commit to giving the washcloth away, telling the recipient about the Bible story, and asking the recipient how they can serve him or her this week.

HIDING IT IN YOUR HEARTSupplies: small treats

Hide a small treat in one hand, and hold both hands behind your back. Let a child choose which hand has the treat. Repeat the process with each child, but don’t give away any of the treats. Explain that God gives us the freedom to choose—we can choose whether to obey him or not, to serve or not. Read the Key Verse,

Galatians 5:13c, aloud. Have kids repeat the verse with you. Remind kids that we have the freedom to choose right and wrong and that JESUS WANTS US TO SERVE WILLINGLY. Give each child a treat.

FOCUSSee page 15.

77Session 7 | Jesus Wants Us to Serve WillinglyPermission to photocopy this handout from Group’s Hands-On Bible MAX™ granted for local church use.

Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO 80539. group.com/BibleMAX

Family Devotion

Bible Focus: John 13:1-17

Discovery Point: Jesus wants us to serve

willingly.

Key Verse: “Use your freedom to

serve one another in love”

(Galatians 5:13c).

At the dinner table one

evening, ask family

members to think of a

chore they really don’t

like to do. Have another

family member offer to

do that chore willingly for

a week. At the end of the

week, give each other high

fi ves for being willing and

cheerful servants to each

other.

FAMILY CHALLENGE

Why was Jesus willing to be a servant?

Why does Jesus want us to follow his example of

servanthood?

What are ways our family members can serve each

other?

How can we encourage each other to remember to be

servants?

Jesus Wants Us to Serve Willingly

Remembering to serve others can be hard, so pray together and ask God to remind you to be willing and cheerful servants.

Grab a light-colored towel and some permanent markers. Have family members write on the towel the name of someone they can serve. Let each person explain one way to serve the person named. Hang the towel in the bathroom to remind you to follow through on your service ideas. Then discuss these questions:

Jesus, the Son of God, served his disciples in an incredible way. Read all about it in John 13:1-17! Imagine having no paved roads or sidewalks. And wearing sandals all the time. In Jesus’ time, servants would wash guests’ feet. It was a lowly job. But Jesus washed the disciples’ feet himself! He showed that we should serve others.

Service With a Smile

Make this with your family!