As kids leave, ask them why made a first-aid kit!

Connect Time (15 minutes): Five minutes after the service begins, split kids into groups and begin their activity. Large Group (30 minutes): Begin 20 minutes after the service starts. Model what it looks like to be engaged in large group. Small Group (15 minutes): Keep kids in small groups until parents arrive. If you all have extra time at the end, you can review the video and songs together

Next weekend is the last lesson of the Real Encounters with God series, and the week after that (Nov 12-13) kids will get something really special to help them and their friends explore God’s story with their families at home! Make sure to tell kids to invite their friends that weekend so they can be a part of it!

Today we’ll see how Jesus healed a sick man in a very unlikely place, and we’ll see that Jesus can bring healing to us too–inside and out.

October 29-30, 2016

John 5; Jeremiah 29:13 When you meet God, you find healing.

Pools of Bethesda.

GOAL: Connect Time is all about engaging kids in an activity that allows them to connect with each other right away while simultaneously piquing their curiosity for Large Group and preparing their minds for what they’re going to hear.

HOSPITAL TAG*Keep kids in one large group.

● Choose a location around the edge of the room to be the “hospital.” Set up 4 chairs to designate where the hospital is.

● Choose one player to be the tagger, and one player to be the “ambulance driver.” ● The tagger will go around and tag people. Whenever you’re tagged, you have to lay

down on the ground as if you’re “sick.” (Tell kids to have fun with it and actually act like their sick or hurt, with coughing, complaining, etc.)

● The ambulance driver will go around the room to pick up sick people and take them to the hospital. They have to be touching the sick person the whole way back to the hospital, and they can only take one person at a time.

● When you’re in the hospital, you have to do 10 jumping jacks before you can go back out and play the game.

● After 5 minutes, tell everyone to freeze and then choose 1 more tagger and 1 more ambulance driver. Then let kids resume the game, now with 2 taggers, and 2 ambulance drivers!

TALK ABOUT IT● What does it feel like when you’re sick or hurt?● What do you do to feel better?

Goal: Kids will (1) understand how Jesus healed the sick man at the Pools of Bethesda, (2) recognize that Jesus wants to heal us too, inside and out, and (3) worship Jesus in response to his healing.

Why? Since we live in an imperfect world, we can never be whole on our own. Only Jesus can heal us, but we have to be willing to ask for it!

Tip: Remind kids that God wants to heal us of things on the inside too (our hearts), not just the outside.

REVIEW THE STORY1. Why did sick people go to the Pool of Bethesda? (They thought the pool could heal

them of their sicknesses.)2. Why did the man at the pool need to be healed? (He had been sick for 38 years and

couldn’t walk anymore.)3. What did Jesus do when he saw the man? (He asked if he wanted to be healed, and

then he healed him. He also saw him later at the temple, and told him to stop sinning and follow him.)

4. Why does Jesus have the power to heal us? (Jesus is God’s son, and has God’s power, we also call that the Holy Spirit.)

5. What way do you want to be healed? (Encourage kids to think of inward struggles as well as outward struggles.)

MAKE IT PERSONAL*If possible, use one of the blue table cloths from Large Group, and have your small group sit on it/around it on the floor. Set out markers.

● Ask kids if they know what a first aid kit is. (It’s a kit full of band-aids, ice packs, medicine etc. Things to make you feel better!)

● Tell kids that we’re going to make our own first aid kit, and fill it with things that remind us how God can heal us and make us feel better, on the inside and out!

● Give each kid a plastic bag and a red cross sticker. Have kids write their name on the sticker, and then stick it on the front of their bag. Next, give them the following items to put inside:

○ 1 band-aid image that says, “Jesus heals me!” ○ 1 verse card (Jeremiah 29:13)○ 1 q-tip, 1 cotton ball and 1 piece of life-saver candy.

(Continued on next page.)

● Have kids draw a picture on the back of their verse card, showing something that they want to be healed of. It can also be something that God has already healed in them!

Extra time? Do a coloring page. Then play some more hospital tag!

You can find today’s video at crossroadskidsclub.net/weekend.

*Click to play intro music.● Welcome: Hi everybody! Welcome to Kids’ Club. We’re so

glad to have you here! Great job to our taggers, and especially to our ambulance drivers for taking people to the hospital!

● Ask: Why did some of you have to go to the hospital in the first place? (Let kids respond.) Yep, you pretended to be sick or hurt when you got tagged, and the only way to play again was to go to the fake hospital!

● Say: Raise your hand if you’ve ever been sick with the flu or a fever in real life. (Let kids respond.) Okay, raise your hand if you’ve ever broken a bone. (Let kids respond.) How about stitches? Has anybody had those? (Let kids respond.) Yeah, we’ve all gotten sick or hurt from time to time; sometimes it takes just a few days for us to feel better, and sometimes it can take weeks or even months!

● Say: Today we’re going to talk about someone who was sick for 38 years! Can you imagine feeling that way for so long? You would probably try to do anything to get better.

● Say: Before we talk more about that, let’s watch a clip from the movie Toy Story! In it, a toy named Buzz Lightyear tries to fly, but it doesn’t turn out like he wants it to. As you watch, figure out what way Buzz needs to be healed..

● Video: Toy Story / Buzz Tries to Fly

WELCOME AND INTRO

Main Goal: Review Connect Time and introduce the lesson.

Notes:

WHAT’S HEALING?

Main Goal: Use a movie clip to help kids understand why we need healing.

Notes:

THE POOLS OF BETHESDA

Main Goal: Understand why people went to the pools to be healed, even though it sounds a little strange!

Notes:

● Ask: I feel pretty bad for Buzz Lightyear. What way did he get hurt? (Let kids respond.) Yep, his arm came off! What does he need to get all better? (Let kids respond.) Yeah, he needs someone to help put his arm back.

● Ask: We’ve talked about how we get sick or hurt sometimes… so what do we usually do when we’re sick, like with a bad cough? (Let kids respond.) Yep, we might take medicine, or go to the doctor’s office. No fun!

● (Image: Medicine/Doctor)● Ask: Does anybody know what it means to be healed?

(Let kids respond.) Yeah, it’s when your sickness or hurt is taken away completely. Whatever was making you sick or hurt….it’s totally gone!

● Say: Today we’re going to talk about how Jesus healed someone who was really sick, and he can heal us too!

● Say: Let’s pretend we’re back in Jesus’ time, thousands of years ago. Do you think people who were sick took cough medicine or went to the doctor? (Let kids respond.) Not always!

● Say: Back then, people didn’t know as much about medicine or sickness, so they tried some pretty weird things. One of the those things was to get in a special pool called the Pool of Bethesda. Can you say, “Bethesda”? (Let kids respond.)

● (Image: Modern Pool) Now when WE think of a pool, we might think of something like this, right?

● Say: Back then, though, pools looked more like this.● (Image: Ancient Pool)● Say: The Pool of Bethesda was supposed to be really

special. People thought that it could heal them, and take their sickness away, if they just got in the pool. Do you think it actually worked though? (Let kids respond.) Nope. It was just a fake story that someone made up!

● Say: Let’s watch a video about what happened when Jesus decided to visit the Pools of Bethesda. As you watch, pay attention to what really causes the sick man to be healed.

● Video: God’s Story / Pools of Bethesda● Ask: So who healed the sick man? (Let kids respond.)

Yeah, Jesus! It wasn’t a special pool that made him feel better. It was Jesus’ power!

A REAL MIRACLE IN A REAL PLACE

Main Goal: Visualize what the Pools of Bethesda were like as a real place where Jesus performed a real miracle.

IMAGINE THE MIRACLE

Main Goal: Use props to pretend we’re in real pools, and imagine what it was like when Jesus healed the sick man.

Notes:

● Say: Now even though this story took place a few thousand years ago, you can still go and visit the actual Pools of Bethesda today! It’s still there! (Play the following video as you continue talking about the pool.)

● Video: Pools of Bethesda ● Say: Would you guys go swimming there now? (Let kids

respond.) Nah, me either! It’s kind of hard to tell, but there used to be water that filled up this space! Maybe it looked like this when Jesus was there.

● (Image: Jesus Heals)

● Say: Let’s have some fun and imagine that we’re at the pools right now! Everybody get up and stand over here....(Direct kids to stand somewhere convenient, off to the side of the presentation area.)

● Say: We’re going to lay down some blue tablecloths and pretend they’re pools! (Have volunteers lay out table cloths for kids to sit on. You can lay them in various places around the room, or all together.) Okay, now find a new spot on one of the pools! (Let kids respond.)

● Video: Flowing Water (Continue talking while playing this video loop. You can play the loop as long as needed.)

● Say: Imagine there’s water all around, and lots of people have come who are sick or hurt. Let’s think about the man who was sick for 38 years; how do you think he was feeling? (Let kids respond.) Yeah, maybe sad, tired, or lonely. He had been sick for a really long time, and nobody was able to help him. But then Jesus walks up!

● Ask: Jesus asked the sick man, “Do you want to get well?” Everybody ask someone next to you, “Do you want to get well?” (Let kids respond.) And do you think the sick man wanted get well? (Let kids respond.) Of course he did! But Jesus asked first, because he doesn’t want us to just wait around hoping to be get better. He wants us to come to him and ask for it!

● Say: After that, Jesus healed the man of all his sickness, and the man got up and walked away! Do you think anyone else could have healed that man? (Let kids respond.) Nope. Only Jesus could, because he’s God’s son, and he has God’s power! And He came here to rescue us from all the wrong things in the world.

● Say: Jesus didn’t just heal the man on the outside. He healed him on the inside too. (Let kids respond.) He told the man to stop sinning, and start following God instead! He helped the man have joy and hope, instead of sadness.

● Say: Jesus wants to heal us too. He wants to take away our sadness, or anger, or whatever we’re dealing with on the inside. This goes back to the verse we’ve been learning for a few weeks. Let’s read it together.

● Slide: Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

● Say: So if we want to be healed, we have to seek Jesus out and find him, with our whole heart! That means we talk to him, ask him for what we need, and spend time with him.

● (Click to show an image/quick video of God’s Story 365) In a few weeks, you’ll have a chance to get something really special that can help you seek Jesus and get to know him better every single day! It’s a tear-off calendar all about God’s story. Make sure to invite your friends, so they’ll have a chance to get one too!

● Video: Flowing Water (Play the video as you continue talking and while kids have quiet time.)

● Say: Now let’s all think about how we want Jesus to heal us. In your head, think about a way that you want Jesus to make you feel better, or take away your hurt or sadness. (Give kids a minute to think.) Got it?

● Say: Now, Jesus might not always heal us right away. But he will give us what we need, in the time that we need it. So now, let’s pray together, and ask Jesus to heal us of these things!

● Pray: Jesus, we ask you with our whole hearts to heal us right now, and make us whole. We know you’re the only one who can bring real healing, and we love you so much. Amen!

● Say: Now it’s time to worship and celebrate Jesus for all the ways that he heals us. Let’s thank him by singing loud and dancing as hard as we can!

● Music Video: Grow Up Like Jesus● Music Video: Before I Go

Dismiss kids to small groups.

HEALING INSIDE AND OUT

Main Goal: Understand that, to Jesus, inward healing is just as important as outward healing.

Notes:

RESPONSE TIME

Main Goal: Let kids actively respond to the Holy Spirit.

WORSHIP

Main Goal: Close the lesson with prayer and worship.

How did Jesus heal the sick man?How does Jesus want to heal us?

1. Song slide: for when kids enter the room (All that You Need instrumental; mp3 only; can be downloaded on website)2. Video: Toy Story / Buzz Tries to Fly (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWLrTjG7te8) 3. Image: Medicine/Doctor (put both images on 1 slide)4. Image: Modern Pool5. Image: Ancient Pool6. Video: God’s Story / Pools of Bethesda (in progress)7. Video: Pools of Bethesda (0:45-1:36; no sound; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8lcLxS98Zk) 8. Image: Jesus Heals9. Video: Flowing Water (0:00-1:00; make repeating; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0Qk-tsGY5Q; overlay with sound

from this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEB38Wme3m8)10. Slide: Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.11. Video: Flowing Water (0:00-1:00; make repeating; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0Qk-tsGY5Q; overlay with sound

from this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEB38Wme3m8)12. Music Video: Grow Up Like Jesus (https://vimeo.com/49923932) 13. Song: Before I Go (KC/SM media videos songs>songs>songs with slides)

uncheck the "scale to fit" option and choose "scale" at 100%

, Lifesavers Pop O Mint Candies (2.5 lbs.)

Per room: 4 chairs

Per Group: Bible, Per group of 10 kids: 1 blue tablecloth (OT: IN-70/1708)- reuse if possible