Guaranteed Forever

You’ll Need: Balloons, Small slips of paper, Pen, Tape

Get Ready: Before class, write a phrase from today’s Bible verse on each small slip of paper. Put individual slips inside balloons and inflate them. Inflate several balloons with no slip inside.

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:28-29)

Lead kids in these steps to learn today’s Bible memory verse:

• Open your Bible to John 10:28-29.
• Read the memory verse several times and invite kids to repeat phrases after you.
• Spread the balloons around the room.
• Explain that when you say go, kids will have to scramble to pop the balloons to find today’s Bible memory verse.
• As kids find each slip, have them bring it to the front of the room where they will tape the slips in order to make the Bible memory verse.

SAY: Great job matching phrases from today’s Bible memory verse! Jesus came so we could have eternal life with Him in heaven. Nothing can take away that incredible promise. That’s Jesus’ guarantee.

You’ll Need: Bible, Blindfolds

• Open your Bible to John 10:22-30.

SAY: Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” We are like the sheep, and Jesus is the Shepherd. Without a shepherd to guide them, sheep can easily become lost or snatched. Let’s learn more about that now.

• Read aloud the passage.
• Form two groups, and choose a leader for each group to be the “shepherd.”
• Give all the other kids, the “sheep,” blindfolds.
• Once all the sheep are blindfolded, invite the shepherds to call out to their sheep one at a time by saying, “Baa, baa, baa.”
• Sheep should listen to their shepherd’s voice.
• When you say go, the sheep will scatter around the room.
• Have the shepherds stand on opposite sides of the room, and invite them to call out, “Baa, baa, baa.”
• Sheep will have to blindly follow their shepherd’s voice until both groups are gathered together in flocks.
• Invite kids to take their blindfolds off and confirm that they made their way back to the right shepherd.

ASK:

• What did Jesus mean when He said, “No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand”?
• What do we know about God’s hands?

SAY: When we give our heart to Jesus and place our life in His hands, we know that we are safe and that nothing can snatch us from His hand. We may have our ups and downs. We may even stray away at times like lost sheep, but just a little tug will pull us right back to Him.

Sheep Sweets

You’ll Need: Plates, Plastic knives, Napkins, Graham cracker squares, Mini marshmallows, Black candy melts, Small candy eyes, White frosting

Get Ready: Before the snack, have kids clean their hands.

Follow these steps for the “Sheep Sweets” snacks:

• Give each child a plate, a plastic knife, a napkin, a graham cracker square, a handful of mini marshmallows, one black candy melt, and two small candy eyes.
• Help kids spread a light layer of frosting across the top of their graham cracker.
• Invite kids to place the black candy melt in the center of the graham cracker, then stack the candy eyes on top of the candy melt. (Adding a dab of frosting will help keep the eyes in place.)
• Have kids place mini marshmallows across the remainder of the graham cracker so that the frosting is covered.
• Remind kids that in today’s Bible passage, Jesus assures us that when we place our faith in Him, nothing can snatch us from His hands.
• Enjoy.

ASK:

• What does it mean to you to be protected by Jesus?
• How do we receive Jesus’ guarantee?

Secret Coin Snatch

You’ll Need: Coin

To play the “Secret Coin Snatch” game, have kids follow these steps:

• Have kids sit in a circle within reach of the people next to them.
• Place the coin in the hand of a child sitting in the circle.
• Choose a child to sit in the center of the circle.
• Have kids begin to pass the coin secretively, sometimes only pretend- ing to pass the coin.
• Allow time for a few passes, then ask the child in the middle to guess where the coin is.
• If the coin is in the palm they guess, the child in the center will switch places with the child who has the coin.
• Play several rounds as time allows.

ASK:

• Could you tell where the coin was as it was being passed? How?
• Who can snatch you away from Jesus once you place your faith in Him?

SAY: Nothing can snatch us from Jesus’ hand. His love and protection is guaranteed forever when we place our faith in Him. Even when we mess up, He picks us up, dusts us off, and brings us right back to the palm of His hand.

I Baa-lieve Sheep

You’ll Need: “Baa Baa” handouts, Glue sticks, Cotton balls, Googly eyes, Markers

Get Ready: Before class, print the “Baa Baa” handout on card stock, one per child.

Have kids follow these steps to make the “I Baa-lieve Sheep” craft:

• Give each child a handout, a glue stick, and a handful of cotton balls.
• Remind kids that in today’s story, Jesus compared those who believe in Him to sheep who know their shepherd’s voice.
• Invite kids to glue the cotton balls to the handout.
• Add two googly eyes to complete the sheep.
• Let kids color the rest of the page as time allows.

SAY: God promises us that we will live forever with Him when we accept Him as our Savior. We can trust Him to save us from our sin, and we can believe that Jesus is God’s Son and that He paid the price for us on the cross. He says we are guaranteed forever in His hands.

In His Hands Prayers

You’ll Need: Candy

Follow these steps to lead kids in prayer.

• Give each child a small piece of candy.
• Have kids spread out around the room with their candy securely in their hands.
• Invite kids to pray silently and thank God for keeping them safe in His hands.
• Allow kids to eat their candy as you close in prayer.

PRAY: Dear Jesus, we thank You for holding us in Your hand and for giving us the promise that nothing can take us from You. Amen.