9.2 Small Group Lesson | Elementary

Seek and FindThief on the Cross

Scripture marked “NIV” is taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica. Scripture marked “NIrV” is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version ™, Copyright ©1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. All scripture references are taken from NIrV unless otherwise stated.

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BIG IDEA: God’s grace is big enough, so we can go to Him no matter who we are or what we’ve done.

BIBLE BASIS: Matthew 27:11-66; Luke 23

KEY VERSE: “God’s grace has now appeared. By his grace, God offers to save all people.” Titus 2:11 (NIrV)

15–25 minutes

7–15 minutes

30–40 minutes

7–15 minutes

9.2 Small Group Lesson | Elementary

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LEADER DEVOTIONAL

There are few things more personal than pain, few things more sensitive than suffering. The question that Christians must face is how to reconcile the reality of pain and suffering in light of Jesus’ victory on the cross.

Some argue that pain and suffering have no place in the life of a Christian. Pain and suffering, they say, shows that we lack faith. We ought to run from pain and suffering. Others take the opposite view, arguing that pain and suffering should be typical in the life of a Christian. Pain and suffering, they say, builds our faith. We ought to run  to pain and suffering.

But what if it’s not about running from something or to something, but with someone? 

As Søren Kierkegaard once put it, “The choice would not be right if someone thought he was to choose between Christ in his lowliness and Christ in his loftiness, for Christ is not divided; he is one and the same. The choice is not either lowliness or loftiness. No, the choice is Christ.”

Both suffering and joy marked the life of Christ, so as we run with Him, we can expect both suffering and joy to mark our lives as well. Just as His suffering was not in vain, so neither will our suffering be in vain.

Casey JordanGO! Contributor

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9.2 Small Group Lesson | Elementary

SMALL GROUP SKILL BUILDING

Dealing with Difficult Kids

If you’re like a lot of other small group leaders, when you signed up for the job, you may have imagined yourself pouring out wisdom to a group of kids as they sat in wide-eyed wonder of everything you said. They laughed when they were supposed to laugh, they talked when they were supposed to talk, and they followed your instructions without deviation. But if you’ve been on the job for any length of time, you know that’s pure fantasy. The truth is that most kids are very well-behaved most of the time, but there’s always one! You know the one I’m talking about. You might even be picturing their face right now. If your heart rate is beginning to rise, take a deep breath. Here are a few tips to help you keep difficult kids from wreaking havoc on your group:

Don’t hesitate to separate kids. If you have two kids in your group nicknamed “Dynamite” and “Fire,” don’t sit them next to each other! Some kids just make lethal combinations and when put together, they lose all ability to control their behavior. Simply ask one of the kids to move so they’re no longer seated together.

Have a consistent set of consequences. Having consequences for misbehavior is a way of creating boundaries. Kids love boundaries. In fact, they thrive when trusted adults create and enforce boundaries. State the consequences ahead of time so that all of the kids are aware of them. You might use something like the “3 Strike” rule. Work with your ministry leaders to determine what the different strikes mean or find out if there’s already an established set of consequences for your ministry.

Include the parents in the problem. No one knows the kids in your group better than their parents. Not only can the parents give you insight into the source of the problem, they can probably help you fix it as well. Talk to your ministry leader ahead of time to find out if there’s any way he or she can assist you with that conversation.

Don’t be afraid they’ll stop liking you. A lot of small group leaders have a fear that if they enforce boundaries, their kids will no longer like them. Actually, it’s the exact opposite. When you create and enforce boundaries, kids will respect you. And the more they respect you, the more they’ll like you. You might be surprised to find out that the kids you are closest to are often the ones you’ve had to discipline the most.

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9.2 Small Group Lesson | Elementary

I SPY KIDSDirections: Choose a “Spy kid” to secretly “spy” something in the room that is visible to the entire group. Allow the other kids in the group to ask yes or no questions about the secret item. If the group can guess the secret item after asking 5 or fewer questions, they get to ask the “Spy kid” a question about themselves. (For example: What’s your favorite video game?) If the group cannot guess the item after asking 5 or fewer questions, the “Spy kid” gets to ask someone in the group a question about them. If time remains, ask the entire group the following question:

Question: Have you ever messed up BIG TIME? What did you do?

ADDITIONAL TIME ACTIVITY—THUMBS UP, THUMBS DOWNSimply ask the kids in your group to share one good thing that happened this week (thumbs up) and one not-so-good thing (thumbs down). This is a great way for your group to share celebrations and struggles with one another.

STORY QUESTIONSDirections: During the Large Group program, kids will be asked to turn briefly to their small group and answer the following questions:

For Younger Kids:1. What surprised you about this story?2. What do you think Jesus meant when He told the thief that he would be in paradise?

For Older Kids:1. What do you think this story teaches us about Jesus?2. Did it surprise you that Jesus told the thief he would be in paradise with Him? Why or why not?3.

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9.2 Small Group Lesson | Elementary

NO SIN TOO BIG (Application Activity)Say: In one way, all sin is the same—no matter how big or small it is, all sin separates us from God. But sometimes, certain sins seem worse than others and it’s easy to think that they’re too big to be forgiven. We’re going to do an activity right now that will help us see that no sin is too big for God’s grace.

Directions: Place a small marker board in the middle of the group. Ask the kids what they think are some “big” sins. After everyone has had a chance to share, use a red dry-erase marker to write their answers down in big bold letters. Next, ask the kids what they think are some “little” sins. After everyone has had a chance to share, use the red dry-erase marker to write their answers down in smaller letters. When finished, show your group the red piece of cellophane and tell them that it reminds us of Jesus’ blood. Tell the kids that when Jesus died for us, it covered up our sins. Lay the red cellophane over the top of the marker board to make the red writing disappear.

Say: Take a look—the “big” sins disappeared just as much as the “little” sins. No matter how big or little we think our sins are, God’s grace is enough to make them disappear. Jesus died on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. So whether you think your sins are “little” or “big,” God will forgive you and wants you in His family!

Question: Why do you think some sins seem bigger than others?

Question: Have you ever wondered if you’ve messed up too big or too many times to be forgiven? Why did you feel that way?

Question: Just because Jesus will always forgive us doesn’t mean we can keep on sinning. We still have consequences for our mistakes. What are some of the consequences we might have when we sin?

TOSS-A-VERSE (Bible Memorization Activity)Directions: Place the Bible verse sign in the middle of the group and read it carefully with your kids several times so they can begin to memorize it. Practice saying it together a few times. When everyone is ready, turn the sign over so they can no longer read it. Today’s Bible verse says:

“God’s grace has now appeared. By his grace, God offers to save all people.” Titus 2:11

Tell the kids they’re going to toss an imaginary object to each other. The kid who catches the object has to say the next word in the verse. Let the kids take turns deciding what the imaginary object will be. It could be something really small, like a feather; really big, like a refrigerator; or really hot, like a fireball. They’ll have to adjust how they throw the object based on what’s being thrown. Continue throwing the object until the whole verse has been recited. When finished, have the entire group say the whole verse together. Next, choose a different imaginary object and begin another round. Continue playing rounds until the kids have confidently memorized the verse. When finished, ask the following question:

Question: What do you think the verse means when it says “God’s grace has now appeared”?

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9.2 Small Group Lesson | Elementary

PRAYER HUDDLE (Group Prayer Activity)Directions: Encourage kids in your group to share prayer requests or praises with one another. When kids are finished sharing, have them get on one knee and huddle in a circle with their arms around one another. Open the group in prayer. Allow the kids in the group to take turns praying aloud for themselves or for each other. When finished, close the group with a final prayer.

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