I Can Have Peace When I’m Afraid

Co-Host Are you guys ready to play the most exciting game in this room? It’s called “What’s in the Box?”

Host Our blindfolded contestants will reach inside this box and try to correctly guess what they are touching. No help is allowed from the audience, but feel free to react to the “grossness” that you may witness.

Co-Host What’s in the box? Is it alive? Will it bite? Who knows? Let’s play.

Co-Host None of those items were particularly scary, but what made it scary was the fear of what it might be.

Host Today we will discover how to handle fear because it’s possible to be peaceful even in a scary situation.

Co-Host First stand to your feet and tell someone nearby which is scarier: a thunderstorm or a surprise spelling test. Let’s see what Herman and Rusty are up to.

Co-Host Those kids look like trouble. None of you have ever acted like that with a babysitter, I hope.

Host That looked like a scary situation for Rusty and Sophia. Have you ever been in a situation that was scary? What happened?

Co-Host Fear is something everyone faces, but just because we feel it doesn’t mean we have to act on it.

Host That’s true. We need an assistant to help us with this experiment. (Bring up assistant) I have a table, tablecloth, and dishes on top. I want you to remove the tablecloth without disturbing the items on the table.

Co-Host That jumbled everything up on the table. That reminds me of what happens to us in scary situations. Someone gets sick, you’re in a dangerous place, your family doesn’t get along, the list keeps going. Those scary situations are like pulling the tablecloth out and turning your world upside down.

Host Even though we can’t control scary problems, we can control our response. Let’s see what our Big Point says. I need our assistant to help us reveal it.

Co-Host You will help us count down from three and then read the Big Point.

Host Let’s all say it together, I Can Have Peace When I’m Afraid

Co-Host God wants to give us the power to choose peace, even when we feel afraid.

Host When we trust that God is with us and that He is helping us, bad things may happen, but they don’t have to turn us upside down. Let’s try this again.

Host When you have faith in God, you can choose a calm and peaceful attitude.

Co-Host Let’s see if Rusty and Sophia can choose a peaceful attitude.

Host They have lost total control of their daycare. Have you ever seen your classmates lose control when a substitute teacher was in charge?

Co-Host And it seems they don’t want to deal with the kids any longer. I think they just want to run away. The Big Point could be helpful,

Co-Host I Can Have Peace When I’m Afraid!

Host Let’s see what the Bible says about peace by checking out the Big Verse.

Co-Host We need you to help us count down from three and then read the verse.

Co-Host John 14:27 (NIrV) says, “I give my peace to you…Do not let your hearts be troubled. And do not be afraid.”

Host Can you believe Jesus said that on the night before He was going to die on the cross!?! Jesus had peace, even when He knew He was going to die. Jesus wanted His disciples, and us, to have that same peace.

Co-Host Some people, like Rusty and Sophia, believe that you find peace when you get rid of your problems. Let’s bring up an assistant to help us. Suppose you find out your best friend is moving.

Host That could make you feel afraid that you’ll be left alone. Some people believe that if you could just keep your friend from moving, you would feel perfectly calm and peaceful.

Co-Host Then other problems have a way of popping up. Maybe your family starts fighting a lot.

Host Even if you stopped them from fighting, something else could pop up, like a bully at school.

Co-Host Maybe you think that you’d be peaceful and not afraid if you could get the bully to go away, but then someone you love might get sick, and then you’re afraid they might not get better.

Host Finding peace isn’t about getting rid of problems. There will always be challenges that make us feel afraid. Peace comes from knowing that Jesus is with you. (Hand the child the box labeled “Jesus”) He wants to give us peace so that we don’t have to be afraid. If you feel fear, focus on Jesus. Remember that He is with you, and that He will never leave you.

Co-Host A great way to do that is by praying. Another way is worship. Let’s stand and praise Jesus now.

You guys see and hear a lot of crazy stuff on TV and online. You have heard about terrorism and hurricanes, and sometimes you may worry if you and your family are going to be okay. You might be worried about things that are going on right in your own house. The good news is that God has the power to help you. God wants to bring peace to your life, in spite of whatever is going on around you. That’s why we pray and chat with God about the stuff that’s bothering us. He cares about us and will help us. He wants you to be full of peace, not fear. God has amazing power. I want to invite you guys to come down and pray with an adult volunteer. Together you can talk to God and share with Him what’s worrying you, and then ask God to help. You’ll be amazed at what our God can do.

Co-Host Wow, Sophia and Rusty had those daycare kids marching like a well-run army.

Host It’s safe to say that they got over their fear. See, they didn’t need to get rid of the kids, they just needed to find peace in the middle of the problem. Remember our Big Point,

Host I Can Have Peace When I’m Afraid!

Co-Host Elisha’s servant couldn’t see the huge army surrounding the enemy army. But once he saw them, he wasn’t afraid any longer. In the same way, we need to remember that even though we can’t see Jesus, we know that He is always with us.

Host This is a great story to share with your family when you do this week’s Big Do.

Host Find a small rock in your backyard and write “peace” on it. Carry it with you, and whenever you are afraid, hold onto it and remember that Jesus gives you peace.

Co-Host Let’s look at some situations that kids might face, and you tell us how you can choose a calm and peaceful attitude in the middle of that problem.

Host Great job. Let’s turn and connect with our small groups and talk about what we’ve learned from the Bible.

• What is something that really makes you feel nervous or afraid?
• Why was Elisha’s servant afraid? He saw the enemy army surrounding them Why was Elisha not afraid? He could see the angel army surrounding the enemy
• Why can we be calm in a scary situation? Because we know that God is with us, and that He will help us even though we can’t see God
• When you feel afraid what are some true things that you can tell yourself? God can calm the storm. I trust that my mom or dad will return to pick me up. My bad dream isn’t real, but Jesus is real. I am not alone because Jesus is with me. God’s angels watch over us to help us.
• What did Herman tell us to do with our families in the Big Do? Find a "peace" rock to help us remember Jesus is with us

• Our Big Point says I Can Have Peace When I’m _______!

  • Alone
  • Afraid

• What was the name of the prophet in the Big Story?

  • Elisha
  • Isaiah

• What did Rusty and Sophia want to do when they were scared?

  • Get rid of the kids
  • Pray

• Why did the King of Aram try to capture Elisha?

  • He had helped Israel’s king
  • Elisha owed him money

• We should always listen to our fears and act on them.

  • True
  • False

• John 14:27 (NIrV), “I give my peace to you…Do not let your hearts be _______. And do not be afraid.”

  • Troubled
  • Bothered

• What did Elisha’s servant see when God opened his eyes?

  • The enemy army
  • The angel army

• Why can we have peace in the middle of something scary?

• Who promised to give us peace?

  • Jesus
  • No one

• What challenge did Herman give us as this week’s Big Do? Find a "peace" rock to help us remember Jesus is with us.