Gratitude Is with You... Always

10:15 Always, Sometimes, Never Made to Move: an activity that increases the oxygen in the brain and taps into the energy in the body What You Need: No supplies needed What You Do: Gather the group and tell them the rules to the game: o If they hear something they never do, they should sit down. o If it s something they always do, they should stand up. o If it s something they sometimes do, they should hop on one foot. Call out different activities: o brushing your teeth before bed o eating breakfast in your pajamas o going to school o feeding an iguana o driving a go-kart o drinking hot chocolate in the morning o eating lunch in the school cafeteria o lying down to go to sleep o playing video games in the afternoon o helping family around the house o other activities you can think of Then call an end to the game and get ready to go to Large Group. What You Say: Some of those things were kind of surprising! [Transition] Let s go hear about something we should always, always, always do. Lead your group to the Large Group area. 3

Gratitude Is with You... Always Bible: Gratitude Is with You... Always (Give thanks no matter what) 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Bottom Line: Always be grateful. Memory Verse: Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV Life App: Gratitude letting others know you see how they ve helped you. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Bible: Communicating God s Truth in Engaging Ways (Large Group, 35 minutes) Engage kids hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible Truth, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting. SFX: Play high-energy music as kids enter. CG: Theme Slide Host enters. Opener HOST: Kids! Welcome! It s the last week of gratitude here at The Park, and I for one have had a marvelous, astonishing, and astounding time capturing moments. Be sure to take a look at our photos on the stage later. You might see your own face up here! You ve helped this place look stunning just with your faces, and I m supremely grateful. Let s take a look at our Life App one more time. CG: Gratitude Slide Gratitude is letting others know you see how they ve helped you. And you ve helped a ton. Allow me to show a little bit of gratitude by offering several of you the chance to win big if you can solve these Trifecta Picture Challenges I ve got cooked up for you! Take a look at the screen. We ll show you a series of three pictures. Somehow these pictures are connected, and your job is to see the connection. CG: Trifecta 1 - Computer chip, potato chips, chocolate chips So looking at these three photos, can anyone guess what the connection is? Call on a volunteer. The answer is they are all chips. You guessed it! They re all chips! A computer chip, potato chips, and chocolate chips. Get how the Trifecta Photo Challenge is played? Great! Who thinks they have what it takes to guess all of these? Call up two teams of two volunteers each to go head-tohead against one another. 5

You ll have your backs to the screen. I ll have the tech team flash a group of images on the screen. Each slide will have three objects that are related. On the count of three, you ll turn around and look at the images. The first team to raise a hand and yell out Trifecta! gets to guess. If that team is correct, they ll get the point. If they get it wrong, we ll give the other team a chance. And if they get it right, the point will go to them. If neither team has a guess, we ll throw it to the audience, and they get a chance to guess! Everyone understand? Great! Let s play! SFX: Upbeat game music EASY Candy Bar 1, Candy Bar 2, Candy Bar 3 (candy bars) Grass, green crayon, pear (green) Princess 1, Princess 2, Princess 3 (Princesses) Hot air balloon, SCUBA tank, tire (filled with air air) Bunk bed, cradle, cot (beds) All of the following are available to use depending on the ages of the kids on your teams. You could also start easy and get harder each round. DIFFICULT Bull, boxing, wedding (have rings) Radio, brain, beach (have waves) Coffee, Fast food, bank (have a drive-thru) Swiss cheese, notebook paper, Life Savers candies (have holes) Car, unicorn, brass band (have horns) Door, piano, truck (have keys) CHALLENGING Michigan, Montana, Minnesota ( M states) Lone Ranger, a Power Ranger, Chuck Norris Texas Ranger (rangers) Mountain, fern, redwood tree (created on Day 3 of Creation) Match, person, pin (have heads) Pencil, waitress, HGTV (have tips) Basketball, jellyfish, bell (have double L s ) HOST: Congratulations on conquering the Trifecta Photo Challenge! Some of those were definitely NOT easy. Hopefully those got your brains working, because today we re digging into gratitude like never before. To help us dig, please welcome, [Historyteller s Name]. Historyteller enters as Host exits. SETTING UP THE BIBLE TRUTH HISTORYTELLER: It s the last week of this month, and we re moving into the season of giving. Well, the stores have had decorations up since August, but now it s getting into crunch time! Even though it s soon time for presents, there s no time like the present to start giving gratitude to those around you. This whole month we ve been talking about celebrating what God has done, adjusting our attitudes, and saying thank you to those who help us. This week we re looking closer at our memory verse and 6

working together to find out just how we can apply it to our lives! Let s take a look at our memory verse one last time. CG: Memory Verse Slide Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is god s will for you in Christ Jesus, 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Good things, bad things, no things, ALL THE THINGS be thankful. THE DINING ROOM TABLE HISTORYTELLER: Our memory verse is part of a letter that an Early Church pastor named Paul wrote to one of the churches he helped start in the city of Thessaloniki in the country of Greece. This letter became the book of 1 Thessalonians in the New Testament of the Bible. Let s get started in the last part of 1 Thessalonians 5:14. (Open Bible and read 1 Thessalonians 5:14.) Help those who are weak. And be patient with everyone (NIrV). You know, these are two perfect examples of how you can show your gratitude. But how does this play out in what we might face during the week? Oooh! I have an idea, but I ll need some help. Choose two kids and two adult leaders one male and one female. On the stage, set up a table with four chairs. The two kids and one male adult leader sit in the chairs, while the other female adult leader stands off to the side, holding a pan. Okay, actors! Go ahead and act out what I m talking about! Lights, camera, action! Lights: Dim lights everywhere except the scene If possible: The lights dim everywhere except the table and the scene, to help focus the attention of the group. If possible, the scene is also filmed live and projected up on a screen. Historyteller pauses between each line so the actors can act out what is being said. Family dinner. It s mom s turn to cook. Everyone s hungry. It s been a long day, and everyone s a bit cranky. The kids start picking on each other. Dad tells them to cut it out. He calls out to his wife, asking where dinner is. She tells everyone that it s almost ready, but there s a lot of plates to bring over. One child complains that he s hungry. The other child asks when it will be ready. The kids start poking each other again. The dad tells them to calm down again. The mom once again lets everyone know that there are a lot of plates to bring over. The kids now start making faces at one another. The dad gets mad and tells them if they don t cut it out, they won t eat dessert. Mom tries to bring in dinner, but she drops a pan on the floor. And FREEZE! Light: Stage lights up All of the volunteers freeze in their positions, and Historyteller addresses the audience. 7

Is this scene familiar to any of you? Maybe this happens at your house! The verse we just read in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 used the words help and be patient. Any ideas how people in that scene could ve helped those who are weak or could ve been patient with everyone? Take a few responses from the group. Nice ideas! Let s rewind that with some of what you ve suggested! Lights, camera, action! Lights: Dim lights everywhere except the scene Family dinner. It s mom s turn to cook. Everyone s hungry. It s been a long day, and everyone s a bit cranky. The kids start picking on each other. Dad tells them to cut it out. They listen the first time. He calls out to his wife, asking where dinner is. She tells everyone that it s almost ready, but there s a lot of plates to bring over. The kids and dad notice that Mom needs help, and they get up to help her bring the food over. Mom is grateful and pats each child on the head. Dad is happy and gives everyone a thumbs up. Then they all hold hands and sing a fun worship song! Lights: Stage lights up Allow some time for the volunteers to be silly. Okay, FREEZE! So maybe holding hands and singing isn t going to happen, but it s a LOT better, isn t it? And listen, kids. That s something you ALL can do to show gratitude. Help others and be patient with everyone. Instead of demanding to be fed, ask your parents how you can help. Instead of waiting to be served, look for ways to serve others! Let s give a round of applause to our actors! Historyteller motions for the volunteers to go back to their seats while someone sets up the next scene. It s a table with six chairs and some balloons sitting on it. THE BIRTHDAY PARTY HISTORYTELLER: That was great, but Paul shared some other ideas too! Let s keep reading in 1 Thessalonians 5:15. (Open Bible and read directly from 1 Thessalonians 5:15.) Make sure that no one pays back one wrong act with another. Instead, always try to do what is good for each other and for everyone else (NIrV). Let s get some actors up on the stage! Choose six kids to populate the scene. One of those six is designated the birthday boy or girl. Okay, actors! Go ahead and act out what I m talking about! Lights, camera, action! Lights: Dim Lights everywhere except the scene It s [kid s name] s birthday party. Everyone s excited, so they stand up and cheer. When everyone goes to sit back down, one kid takes another kid s chair. The first kid wants his chair back. The second kid says, No way. The first kid hits the second kid with a balloon. The second kid hit the first kid back with a balloon. All the kids, except the birthday boy/girl, start hitting each other with balloons. The birthday boy/girl starts to cry. Presents are accidentally smashed. The house catches on fire. Everyone 8

runs screaming from the house. Lights: Stage lights up Historyteller allows some time for the volunteers to be silly. And FREEZE! Yikes! That escalated quickly! Now, maybe this is a little over the top with the house catching on fire, but how many of you in here can relate to what just happened? Has anyone ever taken your seat when you ve gotten up for a minute? Have YOU ever taken someone s seat when they got up? Remember, Scripture says: Make sure that no one pays back one wrong act with another. Instead, always try to do what is good for each other and for everyone else (1 Thessalonians 5:15 NIrV). What kinds of things can be different in this scene? Take a few responses from the audience. Nice ideas! Let s rewind that with some of what you ve suggested! Lights, camera, action! Lights: Dim lights everywhere except the scene It s [kid s name] s birthday party. Everyone s excited, and they stand up and cheer. Someone accidentally sits in someone else chair, but it s okay, they just take the chair next to them. Balloons are tossed back and forth with happiness and fun. Everyone gives a thumbs-up. Everyone holds hands and starts singing a fun worship song! Lights: Stage lights up Allow some time for the volunteers to be silly. Okay, FREEZE! So again, maybe it s not holding hands and singing, but it s a LOT better, isn t it? If you don t repay a wrong act with another wrong act, things will get better super quick. If someone takes your seat, accidentally or otherwise, simply say, No problem, and grab another seat. It s a great way to act out gratitude by looking to do good things for each other and everyone else! Historyteller motions for the volunteers to go back to their seats while someone sets up the next scene. It s six chairs set up in rows, classroom style. Each chair has several sheets of paper and a pencil on it. THE CLASSROOM HISTORYTELLER: I think we have time for one more scenario, and this one I know you ve seen or been a part of before. It happens at school with your friends. Let s read on in 1 Thessalonians 5. (Open Bible and read from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.) Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Give thanks no matter what happens. God wants you to thank him because you believe in Christ Jesus (NIrV). Now, when this Scripture talks about never stop praying, it just means that you can make it a practice of talking to God a lot not that you have to stay up all night, 24/7, and pray constantly. Maybe never stop praying looks something like this. 9

Choose six kids and one adult (as the teacher) to populate the scene. Okay, actors! Go ahead and act out what I m talking about! Lights, camera, action! Lights: Dim lights everywhere except the scene It s 10:00 in the morning. The teacher is talking to the students about a math problem. The teacher announces that there will now be a test. The students let out a groan. The test begins, and the kids begin writing on their papers. One student, in the front left chair, finishes first and hands in his/her paper with a smile. All of the other students groan. One student, in the middle right chair, can t take the pressure of the test and breaks down crying. Another student, in the back left, accidentally breaks his/her pencil, gets frustrated, and snaps the pencil in half. Another student, middle left chair, shushes everyone. Then everyone starts shushing everyone else. One student, back right chair, takes his paper and crumples it up and throws it. Then kids start crumpling up their papers and throwing them at everyone. The teacher curls up into a little ball and cries for his/her mommy. Then the building catches on fire and everyone runs screaming from the school. Lights: Stage lights up Allow some time for the volunteers to be silly. And... FREEZE! What kind of crazy school is this?! Again, maybe this is a little over the top with the school catching on fire, but how many of you in here can relate to what just happened? Has anyone started freaking out during a test? Anyone ever accidentally break a pencil and get frustrated? What about that one person in your class who always finishes first and get 100 percent on everything? How frustrating is THAT?!? If you think about our scripture today be joyful, pray, and be thankful in all things because you know Jesus what kinds of changes would you make to this scene? Take a few responses from the audience. Nice ideas! Let s rewind that with some of what you ve suggested! Lights, camera, action! Lights: Dim lights everywhere except the scene It s 10:00 in the morning. The teacher is talking to the students about a math problem. The teacher announces that there will now be a test, but everyone gives a thumbs up. One person, back left chair, prays that Jesus will help him/her remember everything for the test. The test begins, and the kids begin writing on their papers. One student, in the front left chair, finishes first and hands in his/her paper with a smile. All of the other students wave and say, Good job! One student, in the back left, accidentally breaks his/her pencil. Another student, back right chair, offers his/her pencil to use. Everyone holds hands and starts singing a fun worship song! Lights: Stage lights up Allow some time for the volunteers to be silly. 10

Okay, FREEZE! And of course, maybe it s not holding hands and singing, but it s a LOT better, isn t it? If things get hard, pray. If you re faced with a pop quiz or a surprise test, be joyful and try your best. If someone else gets frustrated, offer to help. And always be grateful and thankful because Jesus is on your side. He won t give you the answers to the test if you haven t studied, but He will calm your spirit and help you have peace, patience, and a sound mind! How about a round of applause for all of our volunteers today? You all had stellar performances! WRAPPING UP THE BIBLE TRUTH HISTORYTELLER: Okay, so here s the thing. Sometimes it s way too easy to focus on the negative things happening in our lives. It s easy to see the bad and not the good. It s hard not to get frustrated when things don t go your way, or you don t get what you want, or plans change. That s how life is sometimes, and unfortunately, that s not going to change. But that doesn t mean we can t show our gratitude to God and be grateful for the amazing things He has already done in our lives. CG: Bottom Line Slide That s why no matter what is happening in our life, we should [Bottom Line] always be grateful. In fact, that s our Bottom Line for today: [Bottom Line] always be grateful. Instead of getting frustrated, we can totally change our attitude. What would life be like if you were joyful? What would you act like if even when things are hard, you thanked God because you know Jesus is going to help you through it? Even better, what would your life be like if you were patient, helping those who are weak, and not repaying back bad things with more bad things? My guess is that your life would be a lot brighter, a lot more peaceful, and a lot happier! Let s pray and talk to God about all this right now! Pray HISTORYTELLER: Lord, it s been a fun month learning about gratitude. I pray that these kids are given opportunities to be grateful, and I pray that they all have eyes to notice others when others are being awesome! Give us the right words to be able to thank those around us for helping us, and I thank You, God, because You will help me get through whatever I m going through no matter how crazy it looks at the time. Bless these kids, and I thank You that they re here with us today. I love You and I ask these things in Jesus name, amen. If you have an offering with you today, bring it on up. Now, please give a gracious welcome to some people that we are seriously grateful for.the Power Praise Team! Worship SFX: At the Top of My Lungs SFX: Walk by Faith SFX: Good, Good Father Power Praise team enters as Historyteller exits. 11

Power Praise team exits as Host enters. Closer HOST: What a month! Gratitude all over the place! And I think this is a perfect opportunity to show some gratitude. If there are people around you that you are grateful for someone like your Small Group Leader or a friend in your small group take a moment right now and go tell them how grateful you are for what they do! Take pictures of kids thanking other kids, thanking leaders, and so on. After a minute or two, the get everyone s attention and guide them back into their seats. All month, we ve been looking at an important truth: Give thanks in all circumstances. It s in our memory verse. Let s read that together. CG: Memory Verse Slide Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV That means you can find something to be grateful for when everything is going perfectly. But it also means you can find something to be grateful for when things aren t going your way. Now of course, when things are going well, it s pretty easy to be grateful. But when they re not, you have to try a little harder. You have to refocus your thoughts and think about all the things God has done for you and all the things He s still doing. So win or lose, thank God that you got to play. Straight A s or not-so-straight A s, thank God that you get the chance to learn something new. No matter what happens in your life, find some way to be grateful to God, because He deserves your gratitude for more reasons than you can count! We can break it down into a simple sentence. Take a look at our Bottom Line. CG: Bottom Line Slide [Bottom Line] Always be grateful. Can we say that together? HOST and KIDS: [Bottom Line] Always be grateful. HOST: Let s take the focus off ourselves and what we want and need, and instead place that focus on someone else by thanking them for being who they are. Actively look for ways to thank the people who help you. Well, it s time for Small Group. Have fun talking more about how you can [Bottom Line] always be grateful, and we ll see you next time! CG: Small Group Slide Dismiss children to their Small Groups. 12

Gratitude Is with You... Always Bible: Gratitude Is with You... Always (Give thanks no matter what) 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Bottom Line: Always be grateful. Memory Verse: Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV Life App: Gratitude letting others know you see how they ve helped you. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (10 minutes) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible Truth applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 9:00 & 11:30 Gratitude Match [Hear from God Memory Verse Activity] Made to Play: an activity that encourages learning through following guidelines and working as a group What You Need: Gratitude Match Cards, Bibles What You Do: Look up 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and read it out loud with your group. See if anyone can say it from memory. Then divide the group into pairs and give each pair a set of Gratitude Match Cards. Players should arrange the cards facedown in a grid formation. Then they will play a memory matching game. The matches are things that go together: doctor and bandage, oven and turkey, pencil and paper, etc. When a player gets a match, they must say one thing they could be grateful for if they found themselves in a situation with those two things (at a doctor s office, at a holiday meal, at school, etc.). After all the matches are made, older kids can flip the cards over and write the words of the verse on the cards. Then they exchange their cards with another team. That team must place the pictures facing up and the verse facing down. Then teams play to put the verse in order by flipping two cards at a time. Teams succeed when the cards are flipped over in verse order. What You Say: Good matching! These cards remind us that no matter what, we can [Bottom Line] always be grateful. Our verse says the same thing: Give thanks no matter what. Even if you have to get shots at the doctor s office, or even if you have to work on homework on a nice sunny afternoon, there is always something to be grateful for. You could be grateful that you have an adult that takes you to the doctor, or you could be grateful for a doctor that cares for your health. You could be grateful that the sun is shining so your little siblings can play outside, or you could be grateful that you have the ability to work 13

on homework and get an education. Some of the things we complain about are actually great blessings. Optional Additional Discussion Questions What is the opposite of thank you? Is it being mean to someone who s helped you, or is it not even acknowledging what they did at all? How does it feel when someone doesn t say thank you or acknowledge what you did for them? What are some things that make it hard to express gratitude to other people? What can we do about these things? Read Colossians 2:6-7. If we believe in Jesus, like our verse says, we should be growing more and more thankful all the time. Do you feel like you re doing that? What is one way you could be more thankful than ever before this week? 10:15 Thankful Always [Hear from God Memory Verse Activity] Made to Play: an activity that encourages learning through following guidelines and working as a group What You Need: Thankful Verse Cards, beanbags, masking tape, timer or stopwatch What You Do: Before setting out the verse cards, ask kids if anyone can say the verse completely from memory. Take two or three volunteers and let them say the verse. Tape the verse cards to the floor in random order, spaced about a foot apart. Divide kids into pairs or let them pick partners. Place a piece of tape about five feet away from the verse cards and instruct kids to stand behind it. Let one pair at a time take turns throwing beanbags at the cards and attempting to land a beanbag on each card in verse order. Time each pair as they take their turn. The pair with the lowest time wins! What You Say: We all have things going on in our lives right now that are hard to handle! It s easy to want a way out or just complain about them. But our verse tells us that no matter what we are facing, we can [Bottom Line] always be grateful! All Service Times Pray and Dismiss (10 minutes) [Pray to God Prayer Activity] Made to Reflect: an activity that creates space for personal understanding and application What You Need: No supplies needed What You Do: Gather the group together for prayer. 14

Prompt the child on your right to pray and thank God for the child on her right, saying something specific about that person. Go around the circle. If certain kids don t want to participate, step in and thank God for the person on their right. Close in prayer. What You Say: Dear God, we are so grateful to You for so many things! Please help us to make room in our lives for gratitude and to [Bottom Line] always be grateful. I am grateful for each person here with us in our small group. Thank You for such a wonderful bunch that I get to know. Please be with us this week, helping us grow more thankful than ever before! Amen. As adults arrive to pick up, encourage kids to tell their families about having space for gratitude this week. Pass out Parent Cues and God Time Cards 15