Uptown
April 22-23, 2006
“The Best Life Ever: Others First”
Big Idea:
Just like Jesus, I can
put other people before
myself.
Principle: I should
treat others the way I
want to be treated.
Scripture:
Mark 10:35-45 (NIrV)
Leader Focus
Today’s lesson is about putting others first. It reminds us that
even Jesus, the King of kings, didn’t come to earth to be
served, but to serve others. This is the classic idea of “the last
shall be first and the first shall be last.” Living the best life ever
means focusing on others instead of on ourselves.
Introduction in Small Groups
Key Verse: “Instead,
whoever wants to
become great among
you must be your
servant.” Mark 10:43
(NIV)
10 minutes
As the children arrive greet them by name and tell them you
are glad they are here. Ask them about their week and allow
them to share any news or concerns.
Have your group stand in a circle around the plastic whiffle ball
bat. (The leader should put his or her palm flat on top of the
knob of the bat to hold it upright.) Then going around the
circle, have kids put one hand on the bat starting at the base
and moving up. When it gets back around to them in the circle
they remove their hand and place it on top of the pile of hands.
The goal of the game is to wind up with your hand on top of
everyone else. The person on top wins. You can mix up the
circle and play again, or have your group try to do it faster.
KC Celebration
25 minutes
Communicator: Tells the beginning of the Matthew 20 story.
Video: ‘Disciple Idol’. Parody of American Idol with disciples trying to one-up one
another to win the position of Disciple Idol.
Communicator: Communicator tells the ending of the Matthew 20 story concluding that
Jesus’ measure of true greatness is putting others before ourselves. This can be lived
out in the way we serve other people.
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Small Group
25 minutes
As the children return, have them sit in a circle so everyone can be seen and
heard for the discussion.
How do you know when you’ve won a game or a race or a contest? (you know because
you came in first or you got the highest score or the most votes, or your name was
chosen first, or you were the best one.)
Have you ever really wanted to win or to be first at something? Tell us about it. (Allow
them to share. Feel free to share your own story.)
Why do you think people want to be first? (it makes them feel special and important,
they like the attention, they like feeling better than other people,)
Today in Kid’s City Celebration, we heard about James & John asking Jesus to put
them first, to give them the most important positions among the disciples. Do you
remember what Jesus’ answer was? (He told the disciples that the only way to be truly
great in God’s eyes is to serve others.)
Living the best life ever means putting others first like Jesus did. In our world a lot of
people think that the greatest people, the people who deserve attention and praise are
the best athletes, the best musicians, the richest and most powerful people, the people
who focus on themselves. But that isn’t what Jesus teaches us. Let’s look at today’s
key verse.
Key Verse: “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your
servant.” Mark 10:43 (NIV) Practice Reciting together.
What is Jesus asking when he tells us that to be great we must become servants? (He
is asking us to think of others first and help them in anyway we can. He is asking us not
to try to make ourselves important in the world’s eyes, but to do what is right in God’s
eyes.)
What are some ways you can put others first? Brainstorm a list together as a group.
Write down your answers on the large paper provided. (example: let my sibling
have the first turn when we are playing video games, let my friend choose which color
popsicle he wants first etc.)
How does it feel when someone else puts you first? (it feels good, you know that
person cares about you and is a good friend, it makes you feel special and important.)
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Being a servant means treating others the way you want to be treated. If you put others
first like Jesus did, then you’ll be living the best life ever!
Challenge: Be great this week by putting others first.
Take out the prayer card to record today’s requests. Give the card to the member
of your small group to take home who has signed up for the prayer team this
week.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for reminding me that I don’t have to be the best
athlete or the best musician, or the richest kid in school to be great in your eyes. Thank
you for coming to earth as a servant. Help me to be great by putting others first and
living my life the way you did. And thank you for teaching us how to have the best life
ever. Amen.
Project: JOY Door Hanger
Give each child a foam door hanger, a small sheet with three colored address labels,
and a marker. Have the children write one capital letter one each label from top to
bottom so that it spells “JOY” vertically. Tell them that the word “JOY” can help them
remember how God wants them to live. The “J” stands for Jesus who should be
number one in our lives. The “O” stands for others, because we put others first. And
last comes the “Y” which stands for you. Have the children write these words
horizontally.
Jesus
Others
You
Then have them place the lables on the door hanger and ask them to take it home and
hang it on their bedroom door as a reminder of today’s lesson.
Activity: “The Last Shall Be First” Board Game.
Give one copy of the board game to each group of four kids. Using buttons as place
markers, have them role one die to move and follow the instructions on the game board.
As kids play, talk about what kind of actions help move them forward.
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