August 23, 2020 Elementary Bible Story

Today’s Bible Story: With a Little Help from My Friends (Four Friends Who Helped) • Mark 2:1-12 Today’s Bottom Line: God created you to work with others. Monthly Memory Verse: LORD, you are great. You are really worthy of praise. No one can completely understand how great you are. Psalm 145:3 (NIrV) Monthly Life App: Creativity—Imagining what you could do because you're made in God’s image Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

We’ve had so much fun this month imagining all the ways we can use our creativity.

“Creativity is imagining what you could do because you're made in God's image.

“There’s a lot we can do when it comes to creativity, because we’re made in God’s image . . . and God’s creativity is INDESCRIBABLE!

“There are no limits on God’s creativity. He doesn’t just create interesting animals, for example. He also creates them with really cool abilities and instincts, like how zebras and ostriches work together.

“Zebras have really great eyesight, but their sense of smell isn’t so great. Ostriches, on the other hand, have a really strong sense of smell, but their eyesight is poor. So these two animals hang out together. The zebra keeps a lookout, while the ostrich does the smelling. That way both animals can help each other stay safe from predators!

“Or what about the crocodile and the plover? Check out this photo.

“It looks like that crocodile is about to get its next meal . . . but really it’s the bird that’s getting fed. You see, the plover is doing the crocodile a favor by cleaning out all the food that’s stuck in the crocodile’s teeth. It’s kind of like his trip to the dentist. But the bird gets an easy meal out the deal. Sure, it’s a little disgusting, but it’s also brilliant. Only God could create such smart, creative animals!

Sometimes things can seem impossible when you have to do them alone. But if you have a buddy, you can use your creativity and come up with a solution together.

BIBLE STORY SETTING UP THE STORY When Jesus was on the earth, around the age of 30, He began teaching and healing people. Large crowds gathered wherever He went. They wanted to hear what Jesus had to say and see Him perform miracles of healing.”

THE PROBLEM LEADER: “At one point, Jesus left the town where He had been living—the town of Capernaum—because word about Him had spread so quickly. It was becoming too hard for Him to get around and teach.

“But one day He came back to Capernaum. Once again, word spread quickly that Jesus had come. So many people gathered to see Him that there was no room left—not even outside the door!

“Nearby, there was a man who wanted to come and join the crowds. He had heard stories of Jesus’ miracles, and He wanted to see Jesus for himself. But there was a problem—a big problem.

“You see, the very reason the man wanted to get to Jesus was also the reason the man COULDN’T get to Jesus. He couldn’t walk. How could someone who couldn’t walk possibly even get near Jesus and make it all the way through the crowds to see Him?”

THE FRIENDS “However, things were about to change for this man, because his friends came to the rescue! That’s right. These men might not have seemed like heroes to everyone else. But they were certainly heroes to their friend. They used their creativity. The men picked up their friend on a mat and carried him to the house where Jesus was teaching.

The friends picked up the man who couldn’t walk and carried him on a mat to where Jesus was teaching.

“But things were about to get even harder for the man and his friends.

They arrived at the house where Jesus was preaching, and it was surrounded. There were so many people there to hear Jesus speak, there was no chance of getting their friend in the door to see Jesus.

“But . . . never fear! Once again, the man’s friends came through for him. Once again, they came up with a creative solution to the problem. They climbed up on the roof with their friend. They dug through the roof of the house, and they lowered the man down on the mat!

THE MIRACLE Everyone there was probably confused and maybe even frustrated. They had come to hear Jesus teach and see Jesus perform miracles, and now these people just decide to barge right into the middle of the house in the middle of Jesus’ teaching? Couldn’t they wait their turn?

“But Jesus saw the friends’ faith. He saw how they cared for their friend . . . and He stopped what He was doing. Listen to what happened next.

Open the Bible to Mark 2:5 (NIrV) and read.

“Jesus saw their faith. So he said to the man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Say what? The teachers of the law who were in the crowd that day were shocked. Who

was this man who claimed that He could forgive sins? Only God could do that!

“They didn’t say these things out loud, but Jesus knew what they were thinking. So Jesus said:

Open the Bible to Mark 2:8-10 (NIrV) and read.

“Why are you thinking these things? Is it easier to say to this man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’? Or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”

“Jesus was telling them that He DID have the authority to forgive sins, because He is the Son of God! And then He proved it.

Jesus told the man: “Get up. Take your mat and go home” (Mark 2:11, NIrV). And that’s exactly what the man did! He stood up, picked up his mat, and walked through the crowd . . . who must have been standing there with their mouths wide open in amazement. The people praised God. They said: We have never seen anything like this” (Mark 2:12, NIrV).

WRAPPING UP THE STORY Jesus had shown how powerful He is. Here was a man who couldn’t walk—who couldn’t get to Jesus.

“This man needed a miracle. But he had some friends who knew how to use the power of creativity!

“These men showed up big time to help their friend. They worked together to get him to Jesus—the One who had the power to heal him and the One Who had the power to forgive sins! They didn't let anything stop them, because they knew Jesus could help.

It’s amazing how those four men worked together to help their friend. God gave them the ability—and the creativity—and they did whatever they had to do to get him to Jesus. God CREATED them to work together. And He did the same for you.

[Bottom Line] “God created you to work with others.

“We can use our creativity together! Let’s talk to God and ask Him to help us work with others.”

PRAY LEADER: “Dear God, thank You for creating us to work with others. There’s so much more that we can do when we work together, and it makes life so much more fun and interesting, too! Help us to remember that we don’t have to do things alone and, in fact, You made us to put our ideas together with other people. Please remind us to reach out to each other for help and to reach out to help others. We love You, and we pray these things in Jesus’ name, amen.”

God can do amazing things through you—especially when you use your creative ideas along with other people.

[Bottom Line] “God created you to work with others. Say that with me.”

LEADER and KIDS: [Bottom Line] “God created you to work with others.”

“God made each of us in His own image, to reflect Who He is to the people around us. With the creativity God gives us, we can do so much more together than we could ever do by ourselves. There are lots of things we can’t do on our own, but God created us to use our creativity together to lend a helping hand.

“It could be something really simple—like if you combine your money with your siblings’ money so you can buy your mom or dad a present for their birthday. Or maybe you see someone who needs help—like if a friend at school falls down and gets hurt. Maybe you could be the one to stay and comfort her while someone else runs to get help. Or maybe you see someone sitting by himself at lunch. You could grab a friend or two, and together, you could go sit with him. Even if there are things you COULD do alone, it can make an even bigger difference when you invite others to join you.

Let’s check out this month’s memory verse and say it together:

Elementary Activities Page

1. All Tied Up What You Need: A ball of yarn or twine - do this with a group

What You Do: • Instruct kids to reach into the center of the circle with their left hand and grab the hand of someone

across from them. • Direct them to do the same with their right hands, but they must choose someone else. • Challenge them to untangle themselves, without anyone letting go. • Monitor this in case it gets chaotic. • If you have extra time, tell kids to circle up, and give one person in the circle a ball of yarn. • They should take the end with their hand and then toss the ball across to someone on the other side. • The person who catches it unravels the ball just enough to have some yarn to hold, and then tosses

the ball to someone else. • Once this is done, challenge the group to untangle the yarn without letting go of their section.

What You Say: “Those challenges required creativity and another special ingredient. What do you think that is?

2. Reverse Engineering What You Need: “Reverse Engineering Recipe” Activity Page, prepared “moon sand,” cornstarch, baby oil, sidewalk chalk, cheese grater, Kool-Aid® packet, spatula, bowl, table covering, plastic wrap, paper towels

What You Do: • Lay the table covering down on your work surface. • Bring out your sample product and show it to the kids. Let them look at it, touch it, etc. • Give each child one element of the recipe. • Tell them that they don’t HAVE to all work together. They could use their elements alone, or they could

pair up. • See if they can work together to reverse engineer how to make the moon sand. • Give older kids very little direction and let them experiment; the end result doesn’t have to be perfect. • For younger kids: after they’ve examined their elements, guide them through the “Reverse Engineering

Recipe.” • When kids have put together their final product, compare it to your sample. • See if their creativity has added something that yours doesn’t have. • Place the sand in the bowl, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and set it aside for use during the prayer

activity.

What You Say: “Your creativity together was the missing element! How is your sand different than mine? (Theirs should be colored/scented; there will be a lot more of it.) This was a great project to see that [Bottom Line] God created you to work with others! Were any of you tempted to work alone or with just one other person? How would that have changed our end result? (Invite discussion. Some things could have been interestingly combined but would look nothing like moon sand.) You each had something important to contribute, just like in life. Never forget that everyone was made by God in the image of God and to be creative. Don’t count anyone out when you’re thinking of ways to cooperate.”

Optional Discussion Questions for Older Kids • What’s the biggest or best time you’ve ever worked with someone else, like in school or even just

building something cool with friends, and it was awesome? • Have you ever worked with a group on a project, like in school or on a team, and it didn’t go well? What

happened? • How can we treat others the way we want to be treated in a group-work situation? What kinds of things

can we say or do to make sure everyone feels included?

Reverse Engineering Instructions

3. Who Helps? What You Need: No supplies needed

What You Do: • Sit in a circle. • Challenge kids to go around the circle and name the people who made it possible for them to have

breakfast that day, without repeating any of the previous people mentioned. o Their answers might include such people as their mom, dad, relative, a dairy farmer, grocery

store checkout person, doughnut shop baker, and so on. • Continue until someone is unable to come up with a unique answer within five seconds. • Repeat with other areas of life in which we rely on others. • Kids can make suggestions or use ideas from the list below:

o Who made it possible for you to . . . ▪ watch a YouTube demonstration of how to decorate a cake ▪ wear the shoes you have on ▪ turn on a light ▪ text a friend ▪ eat a pizza

What You Say: “It’s crazy how many people are involved in making it possible for us to do something as simple as eating breakfast. Imagine what it would be like if any one of those people you mentioned decided they weren’t going to do their job or work together. We’d all be sitting here very hungry! [Transition]. In Large Group, we’re going to hear about some friends who solved a problem by working together for the benefit of someone else. It took some work, but in the end, it was so worth the effort.”

4. Pray and Dismiss [Pray to God | Prayer Activity] Made to Reflect: An activity that creates space for personal processing and application

What You Need: No supplies needed

What You Do: • Gather kids in a circle. • Prompt kids to think about your time together today. • Ask: Who worked together to help us learn about this story and what it means for us? Be prepared to

prompt kids. How did we hear the Bible story? What about the supplies needed for our activities? Who provided music for us during worship? Be sure to include the people who worked together behind the scenes, e.g. the team that cleans the environment, the decorating team, people who give money to the church for the program, etc.

• Close in prayer, thanking God for all the people who work together at your church.

What You Say: “God, You are great! There is no limit to Your creativity! You made us in Your image to reflect You and Your creativity to the people around us. Just like the four friends in our story today, we can do so much more together than we could do by ourselves. God, You created us to work with others. Our church is a great example of what we can do when we work with others. Thank You, God, for all the people who worked together to help us learn about You! In Your name, Amen.”

As adults arrive to pick up, encourage kids to tell their parents about the creativity of four friends who worked together to help their friend get healed.