Decision Sunday
April 2013
Suggested Sunday School Program
“Making Choices”
Scripture Verse
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52 NIV
Premise
We all have choices to make. Will you choose to live like Jesus?
Items Needed
• Jenga Game
• Cotton Balls (2-3 bags per team)
• Tape
• Building Block/Legos
• Bible or storybook about Joseph (Genesis 37)
• Paper slips with statements of good choices/poor choices
• Container to hold slips of paper
Welcome/Introduction
Greet children and say:
Good morning! I am really excited about what we are learning about today. Let’s get started
with prayer and a few songs!
Prayer
Lord, thank you for bringing us here today to learn more about you and the choices that we
make. Help us to keep focused and learn more about you each and every day.
Suggested Songs
All are available through http://unclecharlie.com/
• One Way
• Trading My Sorrows
• You Are Holy
Opening Activity
Set up the Jenga game on a table in front of the room. Select a few or all of the children to play a
traditional game of Jenga. Continue playing until the Jenga tower falls. After the tower falls,
allow for a time of discussion.
Ask: If you were the person that pulled the piece that made the tower fall, how did you feel? Did
you feel as if it were completely your fault that it fell?? Of course it wasn’t your fault. Those
who removed the pieces before you contributed to weakening the tower. All of our choices have
a result, an outcome; sometimes that outcome is good sometimes that outcome is not so good.
Memory Verse
Introduce the scripture verse, Luke 2:52:
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52 NIV
Explain that Jesus was always growing and learning.
Say: At times we all make mistakes and if we ask for forgiveness from those we have hurt and
even ask forgiveness from Jesus, we will become more like Him. We will continue to grow for
our entire lives. Learning and growing from our choices help us each and every day.
Work on memorizing the verse. You can:
• write the verse on the board and erasing one word at a time.
• write the verse on large sheets of paper or poster board(one word or phrase per sheet)
and have children hold up the parts of the verse, taking one part away at a time, with
everyone repeating the verse.
• teach some motions to help and as the memory verse is repeated, do the motions that
go along with the words.
And Jesus
grew
in wisdom
and stature
and in favor
with God
and man.
Luke
2:52
(use the sign language for Jesus)
(drop to the ground and then stand up as if you are growing)
(point to your head)
(make motions as if you are showing your muscles)
(make the OK sign with your fingers)
(point up to Heaven)
(point to all of those in the room)
(make an L with your right hand)
(show 2 fingers with your right hand and then show 5 fingers and then 2, real fast)
Snowball Fight Activity
You will need a large open space; the front of the room will work fine. You will also need the
cotton balls and tape. Divide the large section in half. Select those who will be participating, it
can be a few or all of those in attendance. Divide them into teams and give them equal bags of
cotton balls. Explain the game.
Say: I know that it is springtime, but we are going to have a snowball fight. Each team has the
same amount of cotton balls that you will to be throwing at the opposite team. You are only
allowed to have 4-5 cotton balls in each hand at the one time. You will keep throwing the
snowballs (cotton balls) until the time limit is up. The goal is to have the least amount of
“snow” on your side of the line. After three minutes, the game will stop. Whoever has the least
amount of “snow” on your side wins the game.
After the game, discuss the fact that one cotton ball on the floor doesn’t make that big of a mess
but a roomful makes a huge mess. Hold up a cotton ball and say:
This cotton ball represents the choices that we make. Sometimes, we make a choice and it
doesn’t really affect anyone or anything. But, sometimes one choice leads to another and to
another and another and can have big consequences, like the big mess we have after our
snowball fight. How we deal with those choices makes a huge difference.
Bible Lesson
Read Genesis 37 or, if one is available, a children’s book that tells the same story about Joseph.
Discuss the story: Joseph had choices to make. Was he angry at his brothers? Did he hate his
brothers for what they did to him? What happened to Joseph at the end of the story? How was
Joseph like Jesus?
Sometimes horrible things happen to us and we have a choice to make in how we respond. Do we
get angry? Do we forgive? Do we love those who hurt us? It’s our choice! Think to yourself,
how would Jesus respond or act in the same situation?
Song
Every Move I Make
Closing Activity
Items needed:
• Duplo Legos or wooden blocks
• paper slips
• container to hold slips
• signs that say Good Choice and Poor Choice
Ahead of time, print and cut out the choices from the list below or create your own if you need
more. Place all the blocks in the center of the table. Instruct the children to each take a slip of
paper from the container and decide whether the choice printed on that paper is a good choice or
a poor choice and begin to build a “good choices” tower or a “bad choices” tower. Have kids
repeat this by adding to the corresponding tower, until all the blocks/slips are used up.
GOOD CHOICES
Eating a healthy apple for snack
Brushing my teeth before bed
Completing my homework on time
Allowing someone to go ahead of me in
line
Putting my trash in the garbage
Saying “I’m sorry” when I make a
mistake
Keeping my eyes on my own test paper
even if I didn’t study
Keeping my promises
Helping to clear the table without being
asked
Cleaning my room until the job is done
Standing up for my friends when others
gossip about them
Using good manners every time
POOR CHOICES
Always eating candy or chocolate for a
snack
Never brushing my teeth
Forgetting my homework at school
Cutting in line at the drinking fountain
Sticking my gum under the table
Saying “it’s not my fault” when I make
a mistake
Looking on my neighbor’s test paper
because I didn’t study
Lying to my friend
Whining about having to help clean up
after dinner
Dumping my stuff on my bedroom floor
for my Mom to clean up
Gossiping behind my friend’s back
because everyone else is
Being rude and never saying “please” or
“thank-you”
Discussion Questions:
1) Why are the right choices sometimes harder to make?
2) Often poor choices reflect what the selfish parts of us want. How do we make the right
choices when our selfishness desires the wrong choices?
3) Why are our choices important?
4) Can we choose to make good choices even when we are kids?
5) How does practicing good choices make us more like Jesus?
6) What choices are you making right now that need to change?
Closing Prayer
You can close with a decision prayer, asking Jesus to forgive them and to help them make good
choices. If they have accepted Jesus already, you can close with a rededication prayer.
Written by Charol McDonald, DHQ Youth Dept., Eastern Michigan Division, USA Central Territory