LEADER DEVOTIONAL Compassion is wanting everyone to have enough. God wants this. God didn’t intend some to get richer at the expense of the poor. Deuteronomy 15:7–9 says, “When you happen on someone who’s in trouble . don’t look the other way pretending you don’t see him. Look at him, open your purse. Don’t listen to that selfish voice saying, ‘It’s almost the seventh year, the year of All-Debts-Are-Canceled,’ and turn aside and leave your needy neighbor in the lurch.” (Deuteronomy 15:7–9 MSG) God gave the people a law called Jubilee—every seven years debts were canceled. But the law was not an excuse to withhold generosity. Verse 11 reads, “The way you handle matters like this triggers GOD, your God’s, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures.” Wow! Ask God to show you your heart. Is it open or closed to those in trouble? God specializes in changing hearts. He wants to bless you with a heart that feels what he feels. LESSON THREE CONTENTS, SUPPLIES, AND PREP COMPASSION THREE WELCOME • 1 foam ball (purchase HERE) LOW ENERGY ACTIVITY • Paper (to make paper airplanes) SMALL GROUP LESSON • Imaginative Prayer Experience (download HERE) CRAFT ACTIVITY • 1 pair of rainbow glasses per kid (purchase HERE) • Self-sticking jewels (purchase HERE) • Foam stickers (purchase HERE) • Glitter pens (purchase HERE) • Markers HIGH ENERGY GAME • Energetic music or loud, silly sound effects • 1 “Jar of Dares” PREP: Write a variety of dares on strips of paper. Fold them up and place them in a jar. SKIT • 1 horn (purchase HERE) • 1 small bag of ketchup (to use as fake blood) • 1 pair of pants (several sizes too big) LARGE GROUP LESSON • 1 backpack containing the following: • 1 clown-sized glasses (purchase HERE) • 1 pair of large gloves • 1 pair adult-size shoes or flip-flops • 1 large hat PREP: Preselect a kid to put items on. MINISTRY TIME WORSHIP CHALLENGE PAPER • 1 Challenge Paper per kid Find this week’s unique items on our Amazon Shopping List. All items are available for Prime shipping! THREE WELCOME LESSON 5 min THE VERSE As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion. Colossians 3:12 (NIV) THE POINT Jesus can give me compassion like his. ICE BREAKER RULES SUPPLIES: We’ve only got THREE RULES. Not too • 1 foam ball (purchase HERE) bad! 1 Listen to your group leader. Kids sit in a circle and gently toss the foam ball. 2 Be a good friend. The one who catches it tells a little about themselves 3 Have fun! by answering one of the following question: If you follow these rules, you’ll have a great time and learn something new. • “Have you ever shared your lunch with someone who forgot theirs? Tell us about it.” • “Have you ever cleaned up a mess you didn’t make? When?” OFFERING It’s so great to GIVE BACK TO GOD. When we give God back a small piece of what he’s given us, we show how much INTRO we trust him. Turn to your neighbor and share... Pray aloud that God would bless the offering and the Do you remember times when church’s mission in the community and world. you fell and hurt yourself or felt very sad and someone comforted you? What did they do that comforted you? ANNOUNCEMENTS Add your announcements below: Today we’ll find out the meaning of the word compassion, and why God says to wear it! = Show slide for this point. (Download HERE.) Welcome - Compassion LOW ENERGY ACTIVITY LESSON THREE 10 min THE BEST GAME SUPPLIES: • Paper (to make paper airplanes) 1 Discover who is the best at various activities. For each contest, four to six kids are chosen to compete. 2 Here is a list of possible competitions: • The tallest thumb • The fastest crab walker • The highest jumper • The longest stare (without blinking or looking away) • The fastest alphabet song singer • The smallest shoe size • The farthest paper airplane thrower • The strongest thumb for thumb war • The longest hair • The most flexible toes Low Energy Activity - Compassion SMALL GROUP LESSON THREE 15 min THE VERSE As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion. Colossians 3:12 (NIV) THE POINT Jesus can give me compassion like his. Introduce yourself and welcome each kid by name. Discussion: Check up on previous prayer requests or events. How did you feel, as you imagined yourself to be sitting in darkness, in the ACTIVITY dirt as people passed you by? What kind of feelings did you have as you SUPPLIES: heard that Jesus was coming near? • 1 Imaginative Prayer Experience How did you feel as the crowd tried to tell (download HERE) you to be quiet and stop calling out for Jesus? Did it take courage to keep calling When you need something, how do you think out to him? Were you surprised when he Jesus feels about that? Allow responses. To have asked what you wanted? compassion on someone means to care about someone enough to want to help meet their What was it like to suddenly see again? needs. Would you say that Jesus has compassion How would you feel about Jesus after on us or not? that? Allow responses. Jesus can give me compassion like his! How can you show compassion like Jesus Have you ever seen someone with a sign saying this week? they need food or other kinds of help? Where? What do you do when you see someone like that? The Bible tells us about a man who had to make his living doing something like that. Jesus had PRAY compassion on him and helped him. We’re going Pray that God would give each kid a heart of to try to imagine what it would be like to be him. compassion for others—like the one Jesus has! Go through the Imaginative Prayer Experience page How can you show compassion for your family? with your group. For people at church? For people at school? Small Group Lesson - Compassion CRAFT ACTIVITY LESSON THREE 15 min THE VERSE As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion. Colossians 3:12 (NIV) THE POINT Jesus can give me compassion like his. COMPASSION GLASSES SUPPLIES: • 1 pair of rainbow glasses per kid (purchase HERE) • Self-sticking jewels (purchase HERE) • Foam stickers (purchase HERE) • Glitter pens (purchase HERE) • Markers 1 Each kid is given a pair of rainbow glasses. DISCUSS DURING THE ACTIVITY: 2 Use the supplies available to decorate their • Why does God tell us to “put on glasses. Draw on them or stick on jewels or compassion”? stickers. • Who do you have a hard time seeing with 3 Kids should use these glasses to remind them to compassion? look at others with compassion. • How has God shown compassion to you this past week? • What is a way you can show compassion to someone at school this week? • What is one way you will show compassion to someone at home today? • What is one way you will show compassion to someone here before you leave today? Craft Activity -Compassion HIGH ENERGY GAME LESSON THREE 15 min Ideas for tasks: QUICK OR DARE • Line up in order of age, oldest first. SUPPLIES: • Circle up in first name alphabet order. • Energetic music or loud, silly sound effects • Line up by height, shortest first. • 1 “Jar of Dares” (a variety of dares written on • Line up according birthdays, January 1 first. strips of paper, folded up, and placed in a jar) • Line up by how many brothers and sisters you have, fewest first. 1 Kids break into groups of at least four or five. • Form a beautiful circle based on the color of shirt. 2 For each round, the leader gives a task to Go from the lightest color to the darkest. complete. • Line up in alphabet order by last name (older kids only). 3 All groups must follow the instructions as exactly and as fast they can! For instance, if the leader • Line up by jumping ability, lowest first. says to hold hands in a circle with every other • Line up by foot size, smallest first. person facing in and every other person facing out, that’s what the groups have to do—fast! Ideas for dares: 4 As soon as a group completes the task, they sit • No talking for the next round—complete tasks in down to let the leader know they are done! complete silence. • Crab walk in a circle for one minute. 5 The goal is to not be the last group to finish the task, because the group that comes in last must • For the rest of the game, fall down and pretend complete a dare. to be lifeless every time someone walks into the room—just like toys from Toy Story. 6 A representative from the group selects a dare • Fold arms into chicken wings, flap them, and say, from the Jar of Dares. Discard used dares. “I’m a pretty little chicken.” • Jump on one leg for twenty seconds with both hands on your head. • Lick your elbow while singing the alphabet. • Play the next round as if you are underwater. • The entire next round, speak with your tongue sticking out. • Spin around ten times then try to walk in a straight line. • The group can’t start the next round until someone in the group is able to lick their nose with their tongue. • Sing a chorus of “Let it Go” from Frozen while pretending to be a T-Rex.