Curriculum
Who's In Control?
Memory Verse:
“The people were all so amazed… ‘He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.’”Mark 1:27.
Bible Background
What Kids Will Learn
Jesus had a plan for His ministry. He recruited disciples to follow Him, learn from Him, and share the Good News with others. Peter, Andrew, James, and John left their jobs as fishermen to become fishers of men.
Scripture Summary
John the Baptist had prepared the way for Jesus, the Messiah. He had preached a message of repentance and baptized many new believers. John was thrown into prison because of his bold message, especially to King Herod.
Jesus continued to preach the good news. The Messiah, the Savior whom the Jewish people had anticipated for generations, had come. Jesus was breaking the hold sin and death had on His people. Jesus offered justice and hope for all people—young, old, rich, poor, center of attention, and outcast.
Jesus called each of His disciples by name and invited them to follow Him. Sometimes it appears that the disciples followed Jesus immediately after His first invitation. Though just like all people, the disciples needed to grow in their faith (Mark 14:48-50, 66-72; John 14:1-9). Jesus had invited Peter, James, and John to follow Him previously (Luke 5:1-11, John 1:35-42).
However many times Jesus had to invite each of His disciples, each chose to follow Jesus. In the case of Peter, Andrew, James, and John, they were fishermen by trade. This was a common occupation in the more than 30 fishing communities around the Sea of Galilee. Fishermen would cast large nets out into the water and gather the nets together to bring in the fish.
Jesus understood their line of work and used what they knew to draw a connection to His calling on their lives. Instead of fishing for fish, Jesus was calling them to fish for men as they shared the Good News with others.
Why Is This Important
We can trust Jesus to be in control. As He shares His calling on our lives, there might be changes ahead. Instead of holding fast to familiarity, we can trust and follow Jesus. He’s the One in control.
Teacher Devotion
Scripture
What Makes a Day Great?
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25)
“How was your day?” is a common question around my house. I always quickly respond positively with what I was able to accomplish that day. I measure a good day based on my own productivity.
You might answer differently. Your great days might be those without conflict, where peacekeeping is the measure. Or a great day could be marked by a dollar figure in sales, with the measure being financial gain. Maybe your good day includes a number of healthy interactions with friends and family, identifying a measure of social interaction.
When I come up with the measuring stick, I control whether or not I have a good day. But that’s not God’s way. Jesus is the One in control, and His way is best.
My day can be interrupted by connections with friends, helping my children, or praying with a family member. The interruption often destroys my own productivity, and my own measure of whether or not a day is “good.”
I am continually learning to give up control. It’s become a daily (sometimes hourly) process. Jesus calls us to live in response to Him, interruptions and all, and to not worry about the lesser things. Let Him orchestrate our day. Let Him measure whether or not we’re having a good day. In all reality, a good day is one in which I love well—God, myself, and others.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for loving me and for being in control. When I think I’m in control, I can really mess things up.
Please keep my mind focused on You and loving others well. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Bible Memory Verse
You’ll Need: Paper, Pens or pencils, Bibles - one per child
“The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.’” Mark 1:27
Lead kids in these steps:
- Invite each child to turn in their Bibles to Mark 1:27.
- Give each child a pen or pencil and a piece of paper.
- Challenge kids to write out today’s Bible memory verse with the hand that they do not normally write with.
- After they have completed the verse, ask them to hold up their Bible memory verse.
ASK:
- Was it easy or hard to write with your other hand? Why or why not?
- Did you feel like you had more or less control using the other hand?
Have children turn over their paper and write their Bible memory verse with their dominant hand.
ASK:
- What was it like to write with the hand you normally use?
- Which of these ways is more like Jesus’ power and control? Explain.
SAY: It’s hard for us to control the pen when we don’t normally write that way. We see very quickly how little control we have. In today’s Bible lesson, we’re going to learn about how much control and power Jesus has. It’s pretty amazing so listen closely.
Interactive Bible Experience
You’ll Need: Bibles - one per child, “In Control Lower Elementary” handout one per child, Markers, Pens or pencils
Follow these steps for the experience:
- Give each child an “In Control” handout and a pen or pencil.
- Invite kids to turn to each Scripture reference as you read it.
- After you read it, invite kids to draw a picture of that story in their square.
- After they draw a picture, ask them to share how Jesus had control in that passage.
ASK:
- Which story do you like the most and why?
- How do these Scriptures prove that Jesus is in control?
- What are some ways we can let Jesus be in control of our lives?
SAY: Jesus wants to be in control of our lives—not because He is bossy, but because He is Holy and He knows best. He wants us to see our need for Him to save us and He is the only One who can save us from our sin. He wants us to talk to Him about decisions in our lives. Since He has all power, wouldn’t our lives be better if we let Him be in charge?
Snack
Control Your Snack
You’ll Need: Cheerios cereal, Bowls, Plastic spoons
- Give each child a bowl full of Cheerios and a plastic spoon.
- Explain that the only way they can eat their snack today is to do it with their eyes closed.
- Challenge them to close their eyes and see how good they are at controlling the spoon and getting the snack in their mouths.
- After a time, let them eat the snack with their eyes open.
- Enjoy.
ASK:
- Why was it hard to pick up your Cheerios with your eyes closed?
- What’s something you need Jesus to be in control to help you?
SAY: It’s hard to control our snack and get it in our mouths when we can’t see it, right? We need to see to eat easier. Do you know that only the Lord knows our future and sees our days ahead? Because He knows all and loves us so, He is the best one to be in control of our lives.
Game
Freeze Frame
- Invite children to walk randomly around the room.
- When you call freeze, they must freeze in place.
- Any child who moves after you call freeze is out.
- Play several rounds.
- Instead of walking around the room, you can give them other commands (like hop around, skip, walk in slow motion, etc.).
ASK:
- How well did you do in this game?
SAY: Sometimes it can be hard to control our bodies can’t it? We get to walking around and then suddenly hear freeze, and we have to stop ourselves immediately. Let’s think about that man with the evil spirit in him. He could not control the situation, but Jesus could. Jesus told the spirit to come out and it obeyed Jesus. Jesus was in control. Did you know that Jesus wants you to let Him be in control of your life? I can’t think of anyone better, can you?
Craft
Control of Me Posters
You’ll Need: Butcher paper, Markers, Tape
To make the “Control of Me” posters, have kids follow these steps:
- Give the children a long piece of butcher paper and the child can lie on the paper.
- Draw an outline of each child on the paper.
- Children can color their clothes and draw a banner on their pic- ture-shirt that will say JESUS IS IN CONTROL OF ME!
- Have kids write their names on the posters.
- Hang the posters in the hallway for everyone to see.
SAY: We like to be in control, don’t we? But do we really know what’s best for ourselves all the time? Jesus wants to be in control of our lives and we can trust Him because He is powerful and He knows best.
Prayer
Pass the Prayer
You’ll Need: Beach ball, Permanent marker
- Ask kids to think about a prayer request they have.
- Allow kids to briefly share, one by one.
- As kids share, write their prayer request on the beach ball.
- Once you have all the prayer requests, explain that you will allow kids to toss the ball to each other.
- When you say stop, the child with the ball holds it.
- Ask the child with the ball to read a prayer request closest to a certain finger.
- After the request is read, invite a child to volunteer to pray for that request.
- Toss the ball several times to cover the different prayer requests listed.
- If any requests are missed, pray for them at the end.
PRAY: Dear God, we are so thankful that You are in control. Not one of these requests on this ball is a surprise to You. Not one of them is out of Your control. Lord, we know You know what is best. Help us to trust You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
