Many Parts, One Body

You’ll Need: Bibles, Chalkboard or dry-erase board, Chalk or dry-erase marker

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)

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

• Invite kids to open their Bibles to 1 Corinthians 12:27.
• Have several volunteers read the Bible memory verse aloud as you write it on the board.
• Invite the class to say 1 Corinthians 12:27 together.
• Erase one word, and have the class say the whole verse together again.
• Repeat the process until the whole verse is erased.
• Finally, have kids say the verse together from memory.

ASK:

• What was easy or difficult about saying this verse as the words were erased?

SAY: Every single word in the Bible is important. As words disappeared from the board, you probably noticed it was harder to remember and understand the meaning of the whole Bible verse. Each word from 1 Corinthians 12:27 has an important purpose, just like each of you has an important purpose in the “body of Christ.”

You’ll Need: Bibles, “Body of Christ” handouts, Butcher paper, Crayons, Marker

Get Ready: Print several copies of the “Body of Christ” handout. Cut out enough eyes, ears, hands, feet, and heads for each child to have one of the five body parts. Lay out a long piece of butcher paper on the floor.

• Give each child one of the body-part cutouts to color with crayons. Then ask kids to write their first name on the back.
• Invite kids to open their Bibles to 1 Corinthians 12:12-31.
• Instruct kids to form a circle around the butcher paper.
• Ask for a volunteer to lie down in the middle of the butcher paper so that you may trace his or her body in marker. Write “Body of Christ” on the top of the paper.
• As you read the Bible passage, invite kids to hold up their body-part cutout when it is mentioned and place it over their corresponding body part.
  • For example, kids with an ear will hold the paper cutout over their ear, while those with a foot will hold it over their foot.
• Read aloud 1 Corinthians 12:12-23, pausing each time you say a certain body part, so kids have enough time to place their paper cutouts.
• As you read 1 Corinthians 12:24-30, invite the children to lay their body parts in the appropriate place on the “Body of Christ” outline. (Make sure the children with “heads” stack their cutouts before the children with “eyes.”)
• When complete, there should be a stack of hands, feet, ears, eyes, and heads on the human-body outline.
• Invite the kids to read aloud 1 Corinthians 12:31 together: “Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.”

SAY: Your many parts have made up one body, and every single part is unique with your name on it. No two ears or eyes are exactly the same. God made sure to give us each something very special that nobody else could offer to the body of Christ. That’s why the church needs you and your one-of-a-kind gift.

ASK:

• What do you think God meant by desiring “greater gifts”?
• How can you grow stronger in the gifts God has given you?

Veggie Kids

You’ll Need: Butcher paper (1 piece per child), Cucumbers, Ranch dressing, Cherry tomatoes, Baby carrots, Circle baby-carrot slices, Shredded carrots, Shredded lettuce, Broccoli, 3 bowls, Plastic spoons, Napkins, Knife

Get Ready: Slice baby carrots into small circles, making two per child. Next, cut three cucumber slices per child, and chop the broccoli florets into tiny pieces. Place the chopped broccoli in one of the bowls, and pour the shredded carrots and shredded lettuce separately into the other two bowls. Have kids clean their hands.

Then, lead kids in the following steps to make the “Veggie Kids” snack:

• Give each child a piece of butcher paper, eight baby carrots, four cherry tomatoes, three cucumber slices, two circle baby-carrot slices, a single-serving cup of ranch dressing (or place a dollop of dressing at the top of the butcher paper), and a napkin.
• Explain to children that they will be making a “Veggie Kid,” using the vegetables as parts of the human body.
• Have kids place their ranch dressing at the top of their butcher paper as the “head.”
• Kids will lay their cucumber slices in a vertical line below the “head” to make the “body.”
• Have kids each use whole baby carrots to make “arms” and “legs” that extend out from the cucumber “body.” Encourage children to be creative in positioning their carrot “arms” and “legs” in different ways.
• Instruct kids to use the cherry tomatoes as “hands” and “feet” by placing one tomato at the end of each “arm” and “leg.”
• Invite kids to use the plastic spoons to serve themselves whichever veggies they’d like to use as “hair.” They can use the shredded carrots, shredded lettuce, and chopped broccoli to create “hair” along the top of the ranch dressing.
• Finally, ask kids to place their baby-carrot slices on the dressing as “eyes.”
• Invite kids to enjoy their veggie masterpieces.

SAY: Great job making unique vegetable creations that represent how each part is important to the whole body, just like each one of us is important to the body of Christ.

Find Your Match

You’ll Need: “Body of Christ” cutouts, Music, Something to play music

To play the “Find Your Match” game, have kids follow these steps:

• Ask kids to grab their “Body of Christ” cutout before the game begins.
• Explain that you are going to play music as kids dance around the room.
• When you stop the music, you’ll yell out one or more of the body parts in their possession.
• Example 1: eyes
• Example 2: ears, hands, feet
• Example 3: head, hands
• Kids who are holding one of the body parts announced must quickly find a partner who has the same body part.
• The last two children to pair up, or the last child without a partner, is out of the game.
• When you yell “whole body,” everyone must find a partner with a matching body part.
• Play as many rounds as time allows.

SAY: In today’s game, you had to find someone with the same body part you had. But when it comes to the body of Christ, no two parts are the same. You and other people may share similar gifts, but there is only one you who can play your part in God’s church.

My Gifts Craft

You’ll Need: Small boxes with lids, Construction paper, Stickers, Jewels, Markers, Crayons, Colored pencils, Ribbon in various colors, Scissors

Lead kids in these steps to make the “My Gifts Craft”:

• Give each child a box, and invite kids to each cut several strips of con- struction paper.
• Explain to kids that they are going to create a box full of the gifts and talents they have to offer.
• Children will write down their gifts on separate slips of construction paper and place them inside the box. Gifts might include things like: “I’m good at art,” “I can play the piano,” “I’m a great first baseman,” or “I’m good at encouraging others.”
• Allow kids to decorate their boxes with ribbon, stickers, jewels, mark- ers, crayons, and colored pencils. Have them label the top of the box with “My Gifts” and the bottom with their name.
• When they‘ve finished, invite the children to share with the class some of the gifts they wrote down.

SAY: Your individual gift boxes are a reminder of the gifts you can give back to God’s people. In the Bible, God says no part is less important than another part. In fact, those parts we see as weaker, God sees as irreplaceable.

Gift-Wrapped Prayers

You’ll Need: Gift boxes from “My Gifts Craft”

• Invite kids to grab their gift boxes from the “My Gifts Craft” and sit in a circle.
• Have children pass the gift boxes around in a circle until you say “stop.” Each child should be holding someone else’s gift box.
• Children will take turns taking one of the paper slips out of the box they are holding.
• Each child will read the paper slip and pray for that child’s gift to be used in great ways for God, then replace the slip.
• Continue until every child has prayed for another person’s gift.
• Return gift boxes to their owners.
• Close in group prayer.

PRAY: Dear God, we thank You for giving us such amazing gifts that we can share with Your church. We are grateful to be a part of the body of Christ. Please guide us in using our gifts for good and for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.