Slides and Printables.zip

Slides and Printables

Big Story Video

03 sec Countdown

2 Min Countdown

Herman and Rusty Part 2

H&R Big Do Slide

30 sec Countdown

6 Min Countdown

8 Min Countdown

Herman and Rusty Part 3

5 Min Countdown

Herman and Rusty Title

H&R BIG REVIEW Bumper

H&R 5 Min Countdown with Rules

Herman and Rusty Part 1 

Herman's neighbor, Hans Von Striker, has struck again. This time Rusty's prize flowerbed was his target. Will Rusty seek revenge or trust God for justice? Hopefully, Herman can point his friend in the right direction. (Note: This lesson presents God’s gift of salvation. Every church presents the Gospel with slight variations and nuances. Read through the steps before teaching. Present the Gospel in a way that is consistent with the scripture and God’s leading.)

Large Group Full Program

This lesson presents God’s gift of salvation. Every church presents the Gospel with slight variations and nuances. Read through the steps before teaching. Present the Gospel in a way that is consistent with the scripture and God’s leading.

Countdown / Rules

**Host**
Welcome to the Lab! I’m excited that you joined us again for another awesome adventure.

**Co-Host**
I’m glad you are here, as well, because I really need some help practicing my judging. I’m one of the judges in the neighborhood “Lawn of the Month” competition.

**Host**
You’re not going to give Rusty an unfair advantage since he’s your friend, are you?

**Co-Host**
I was, but since you put it that way, I guess I won’t. Everyone give me your best impression of a flower.

**Host**
How do you do that?

**Co-Host**
Pretend to grow. Spread your arms out like you are a giant sunflower. Now pretend the gardener is terrible at his job and forgot to water you and you died. You are brilliant! I’m ready.

**Host**
I’m glad they could help. Let’s see how things go with the "Lawn of the Month".



Welcome

Worship

**Co-Host**
If Hans Von Striker thinks he can just get away with trampling over Rusty’s flowers, he’s got another think coming. 

**Host**
It doesn’t seem very fair at all. Have you guys ever caught someone cheating in a game? What happened? How did it make you feel?

(**Host** interviews a few kids.)

**Co-Host**
When someone cheats and it affects me, it makes me want to get revenge.

**Host**
That’s how a lot of people feel, but it may not be the best choice. Let’s have a little fun with a blast from the past toy, a punch balloon. 

(Choose a few kids to participate in the game.)

**Host**
Let’s see who can keep their punch balloon going for a full thirty seconds.


Have the kids and the **Co-Host** punch the punch balloon. The **Co-Host** should hit his/her balloon in a wild fashion to illustrate how it unpredictably “punches” back. If budget permits, the punch balloon is a great tool to send home with the kids to remind them of today’s lesson.

**Co-Host**
No one told me a punch balloon punches back.

**Host**
That balloon reminds me of revenge. Revenge is like sending bad stuff out to hurt the person who hurt you, but instead of just hurting the other person, that bad stuff also returns to you.

**Co-Host**
So, revenge winds up hurting us…not good. Maybe our Big Point will help. Let’s count it down. 



**Co-Host**
Let’s all say it together, **Don’t Fear, Jesus Is Just!**

**Host**
Instead of trying to right every wrong ourselves, we can trust that in the end Jesus will make sure to right this crazy, upside down world.

**Co-Host**
In the meantime, I’m going to make sure Hans Von Striker doesn’t mess with the other judges.



Engage 1


**Co-Host**
What does he mean by, “The president chooses the judges?” You think he’s going to replace us? This is getting worse by the moment. How can a bad guy keep getting away with bad stuff?



**Host**
Let’s just calm down and focus on the Big Point, 



**Host**
 **Don’t Fear, Jesus Is Just!** Maybe a game would help you relax. I’ll choose someone to come up and play against you.



**Host** and **Co-Host** choose a kid to volunteer.

**Host**
I’ll shuffle this deck of cards and deal them out. We’re going to play a game that’s a blast from the past. Some of you guys will remember this from your younger days. It’s called, “Go Fish.” It’s really simple. You try to make as many sets of four as you can by asking for what the other player has.

  **Co-Host**
Get ready, because I’m basically a professional.



**Co-Host** and kid volunteer play cards. The **Host** stands behind the **Co-Host** and signals which cards to ask for in each hand. The audience will likely give away the fact that the **Host** is cheating.



**Co-Host**
You were cheating!

**Host**
I’m guilty. Yes, I was cheating. So it’s not very fair, but did you notice you had help? The audience was watching and helped. Countdown with us and check out this verse.



**Co-Host**
Romans 12:19 (NIrV), “My dear friends, don’t try to get even.” 

**Host**
Just like our audience, God sees everything that’s going on, and we can trust Him to help us when things aren’t fair. We believe that in the end God will put an end to injustice. Instead of taking matters into our own hand, we put our faith in Jesus. Remember, 


**Host**
**Don’t Fear, Jesus Is Just!** Let’s stand and worship Jesus!



Engage 2

Big Story Slides - df-elem-l3-big-story-slide-1.jpg

I think this would be a great time to give Jesus the chance to jot your name in the Book of Life so you can actually look forward to standing in front of His throne. If you have never said, “Yes, I want Jesus to forgive me, be my best friend, and I will follow Him for the rest of my life,” then today is your day! I’d like everyone to close your eyes and bow your heads, so no one is distracted. If you’ve already said, “Yes” to following Jesus, give me a thumbs up. Awesome. You can put your hands down. If you’ve never said, “Yes” to Jesus before, and you want to say, “Yes” to Him right now and ask Him to forgive you, raise your hand. We’re going to pray altogether. Those of you who are already friends and followers of Jesus can join in, too. Repeat after me, and let’s pray... 

Dear God,
I know everyone needs a Savior, 
and I know I can’t save myself. 
Jesus, I believe 
You are the Son of God.
I believe You died on the cross for my sins 
and God raised You from the dead.



Right now, 
I say You are my Lord, 
my Savior, 
and the One who forgives me.
Thank You, Jesus, 
that You are my best friend, 
because I’ve said “Yes” to You. Amen.

I’m so glad for the decision that you’ve made today. If you said “Yes” for the first time, please raise your hand so our leaders can see it. We want to talk to you and help you take the next step. 



Big Story

**Co-Host**
I won’t lie, I’m kind of glad that Von Striker’s new judges turned on him.

**Host**
Every injustice may not be dealt with right now, but some will. The Bible says that a person reaps what they sow. His poor choice came back to bite him…literally.

**Co-Host**
So how should we handle it when someone cheats or does us wrong?

**Host**
That’s a great question. What do you guys think? How would you deal with an unjust situation at school, home, or even here at church?


**Host** interviews kids in the audience.

**Co-Host**
That was some pretty legit advice. I think I’ll go help Rusty get his flowerbed in order. There’s always next year.

**Host**
That's a great idea! Don't forget the Big Do this week.



**Co-Host**
Talk about unfair things that happened. Pray and trust Jesus to help you.


**Host**
I hope you guys won’t give up when you face an unfair situation. Trust that Jesus can and will help you through those moments. Our Big Point is true, 


**Host**
**Don’t Fear, Jesus Is Just!** Let’s gather with our small groups so you can talk about it.

Engage 3

Gather the kids into small groups and discuss the following. 



1.	What is one of the most unfair things that has ever happened to you? How did you react?
2.	Why do you think that so many people like to get revenge?
3.	Does it help you to know that Jesus will one day set things right? How does it help?
4.	What did Herman tell us to do in the Big Do? **Talk about unfair things that happened. Pray and trust Jesus to help you**



Small Group 

Choose two kids from the audience to come on stage and answer the question. 

1.	Our Big Point says **Don’t Fear, Jesus Is ______!** a.	**Just** b.	Unfair
2.	Our Big Story described Jesus as a ________. a.	Lawyer b.	**Judge**
3.	How did Hans Von Striker act unjustly?
4.	What was the name of the large book that John wrote about in our Big Story?
a.	Book of Death b.	**Book of Life**
5.	How does a person get their name into the Book of Life? **Say “Yes” to Jesus**
6.	Our Big Verse says in Romans 12:19 (NIrV), “My dear friends, don’t try to get _____.” a.	**Even** b.	Justice
7.	Why is it good that God gives people time to change their ways instead of punishing them right away?
**So more people can say “Yes” to Jesus**
8.	How could you deal with an unfair situation at school?
**Talk to an adult about it, pray about it, ask Jesus to help you**
9.	Why is revenge not a good option?
**It hurts you and the other person**
10.  What did challenge did Herman give us as this week’s Big Do?
**Talk about unfair things that happened. Pray and trust Jesus to help you**

Big Review

Midweek / Classroom

These music selections are suggested for this lesson.

  - Game Music for Lab Wars
 - Soft Instrumental Music for Big Story

MATERIALS NEEDED

Lab Coat

Small Lego Set

Giant Lego Set

Box of Beads (1 per group)

Buckets (5 per group)

Ball (1 per group)

Hey, everyone, welcome to church! Raise your hand if you ever felt like you were treated unfairly. Using only your face, show me how that made you feel. (Allow the kids to show a facial expression) I remember when I was in school… (Tell a story of a time when you got in trouble at school, even though you didn’t do anything wrong) It’s hard when you know things aren’t fair and you can’t do anything about it. Well, tonight we are going to talk about how we can trust that God will make all the wrong things right. What a great reason to worship Him. Let’s stand to your feet and do that now!


You guys did a great job worshipping God! It’s time to break up into your small groups. Go ahead and turn to your small group leaders now.

 Who is ready for Lab Wars!? Lab Wars is when your team will have a chance to win 5,000 points! Your small group leader will send up one representative from your team. Whichever team can build the tallest tower in 30 seconds, wins! Here are your blocks. 

Give small Legos to the older kids, and giant Legos/blocks to the younger kids giving the younger kids an unfair advantage

Congratulations to our winners! Let’s give them a round of applause! Do you guys think this game was fair? Does that seem right? Of course not. It would be impossible to build the tallest tower with tiny Legos. Sometimes in life you’ll notice that things just don’t seem fair. Instead of trying to right every wrong ourselves, we can trust that in the end Jesus will make sure to turn this crazy, upside-down world right side up. That’s what our Big Point is all about. I need a small group to help me countdown from three to reveal the Big Point. 

Choose a small group to reveal the Big Point

**Don’t Fear; Jesus Is Just!** I am so glad that we can completely trust God to take care of us. I wonder if Herman or Rusty have ever experienced something unfair. Let’s check-in with the lab and see.          





Lab Wars

Hans Von Striker is trying to beat Rusty in the “Lawn of the Month” competition by trampling Rusty’s flowers! That doesn’t seem right at all. When someone cheats, and it affects me, sometimes I am tempted to try to get even, just like Rusty. But that isn’t the wisest choice. I think he needs to hear our Big Point, 

**Don’t Fear; Jesus Is Just!** What does the word, “just” even mean? I have a game that will help us understand. Each group has a box of beads. When these beads were shipped to us, they were organized perfectly by color. But today I walked by the shelf holding all the beads and knocked them on the ground. Now they are all out of order. Your group has 5 minutes to sort all the beads by color. Ready, go! 


Place the box of beads in the center of the circle. Have all the kids help sort them by color. If you have a larger group, have each of them take a handful of beads and sort them at their seat and then return them to the box, placing them in the right compartment. 


Nice work sorting all those beads! This box of beads is a good picture of our world (Hold up the mixed-up box of beads) Everything is out of order, messed up, and not right and fair. But we don’t have to worry or be afraid of the craziness. We don’t have to try to sort out this messed up world, trying to right every wrong. Instead we can trust God. That’s what our Big Point means when it says, 

**Don’t Fear; Jesus Is Just.** The word “just” means that God will take all the wrong things and eventually make them right. (Hold up the box of sorted beads) Let’s check back in with our friends at the lab to see what Rusty decides to do about this lawn competition. 



I think it’s safe to say Rusty hasn’t grabbed a hold of our Big Point, 

**Don’t Fear; Jesus Is Just.** He is still convinced that he should try to get even! I am sure we have all been there. It can be hard to trust that God is just and that He will make things right. Let’s take some time in our small groups to go over some scenarios that seem downright unfair. Then talk about how you could trust God in each situation. 


Instructions: Place the buckets in the center of the group with a scenario in each one. Allow the kids to take turns tossing the ball in a bucket. Whichever bucket the ball lands in, read the corresponding scenario.     


 - Your best friend stopped wanting to hang out, and then you hear that she is telling lies about you to your classmates. What would it look like if you tried to get even? **Telling people lies about her, yelling at her, etc**. What would it look like to trust God to take care of it? **Continue to be kind to her even if she is treating you poorly.**

 - During a test, your teacher looks up and sees your friend looking at your paper. You had no idea someone was using you to cheat! You try to explain yourself to your teacher, but she doesn’t believe you. Now she treats you differently and doesn’t seem to like you as much. How should you respond? Should you be disrespectful and complain about her behind her back to try to get even? Or should you **trust God and continue to be kind and respectful no matter what?**

 - Your brother took a $5 bill from your mom’s purse. When your mom realized it was missing, your brother told her it was you! No matter how much you try to plead your case, she doesn’t believe you. She grounds you for 2 weeks. She may never realize that it was your brother who took the money and not you. What can you tell yourself in this situation to remind yourself to trust God because He is just? **Remind yourself that sometimes unfair things happen, but it’s ok. God sees everything, and one day He will make it right, even if it doesn’t happen right now. You keep making wise choices to earn back your mom’s trust.**

 - You were playing on your tablet while your parents watched the news. You couldn’t help but hear a bunch of bad news, people hurting other people, others lying and yet still becoming successful. It’s all a bit confusing and a little scary. How can remembering our Big Point help you not to be afraid? **When you remember that God knows everything that’s going on in the world and that He is just, it helps you remember that even though the world is crazy, someday God will make all the wrong things right, so you can trust Him.** 

 - Your sister got mad at you and went into your room and broke your favorite video game controller. Your mom thinks it was just an accident and said she will replace the controller in a few months. You are so angry and want to make things right yourself! Would you feel like getting revenge? What should you do instead?


When things happen that are unfair, you may feel like getting revenge. Take a look at our Big Verse 

Romans 12:19 (NIrV), “My dear friends, don’t try to get even.” Sometimes things happen that don’t go our way. Our Big Verse encourages us not to take things into our own hands. Let’s listen to a story in the Bible about a group of people who were mistreated but chose to trust that God would make everything right. 


Sometimes things in life are unfair and everything just seems all mixed up. Maybe you have been mistreated by a friend, or your teacher doesn’t treat you like the other kids. During times like this, it can be easy to get frustrated and try to make things right on our own. You may even feel a little afraid, like things are all mixed up and will never be made right. That is when it’s important to remember our Big Point 

**Don’t Fear; Jesus Is Just**. Let’s turn to our small groups and talk more about this now. 

The goal in this segment is to create a place where kids can openly share and to bring accountability to becoming more like Jesus. Do this by truly listening, responding with love, and showing them what it looks like to be a friend and follower of Jesus.



 - Tell me about a time when something happened that was unfair, or you felt mistreated.
 - How did that make you feel? 
 - When someone has treated you poorly, have you ever tried to get even? 
 - What happened?
 - Next time you feel mistreated, how will remembering our Big Point help you? **By remembering that Jesus is just you will be reminded that God sees everything and that He will take care of it, even if it’s not right away.**

Let’s pray and thank God that we can trust Him, even when things don’t seem right. 




When you feel like you have been mistreated, I hope you will remember that God sees everything and one day He will fix everything that is wrong. When I remind myself that Jesus is just, it helps me not to be upset, afraid, or take matters into my own hands. He will take care of me, and He will take care of you, too. Remember, 

**Don’t Fear; Jesus Is Just.** I wonder if Rusty ended up taking revenge on Hans. Let’s take a look.


I won’t lie, I’m kind of glad that Von Striker’s new judges turned on him. Every injustice may not be dealt with right now, but some will. So how should we handle it when someone cheats or does us wrong? You can still stand up for yourself or tell an adult so they can help. But once they help, don’t try to get even with the person who wronged you. Make a decision to still treat them with love and kindness no matter what. That is what it looks like when you trust God and follow our Big Point. Let’s say it all together, 


**Don’t Fear; Jesus Is Just!** Turn back to your small group leader to finish up tonight’s service. 

 - Pass out the Big Do for this week.
 - Pass out the Big Candy.
 - Have a post-game huddle with your group. Pray for them, do a little cheer, whatever you decide is a good way to end your group. 



Closing

Large Group Abbreviated

This lesson presents God’s gift of salvation. Every church presents the Gospel with slight variations and nuances. Read through the steps before teaching. Present the Gospel in a way that is consistent with the scripture and God’s leading. Slides with the Yes prayer are available in the downloads.

**Co-Host**
If Hans Von Striker thinks he can just get away with trampling over Rusty’s flowers, he’s got another thing coming. 

**Host**
It doesn’t seem very fair at all. Have you guys ever caught someone cheating in a game? What happened? How did it make you feel?

(**Host** interviews a few kids.)

**Co-Host**
When someone cheats and it affects me, it makes me want to get revenge.






**Host**
That’s how a lot of people feel, but it may not be the best choice. 
Revenge is like sending bad stuff out to hurt the person who hurt you, but instead of just hurting the other person, that bad stuff also returns to you. Like a punch balloon. Or a boomerang.

**Co-Host**
So, revenge winds up hurting us…not good. Maybe our Big Point will help. Let’s count it down. 




**Host**
 **Don’t Fear, Jesus Is Just!** 


**Co-Host** Do you think the Bible has something to say about this situation?

**Host**
I'm glad you asked. Countdown with us and check out this verse.



**Co-Host**
Romans 12:19 (NIrV), “My dear friends, don’t try to get even.” 

**Host**
God sees everything that’s going on, and we can trust Him to help us when things aren’t fair. We believe that in the end God will put an end to injustice. Instead of taking matters into our own hand, we put our faith in Jesus. Remember, 


**Host**
**Don’t Fear, Jesus Is Just!** 



**Co-Host**
I won’t lie, I’m kind of glad that Von Striker’s new judges turned on him.

**Host**
Every injustice may not be dealt with right now, but some will. The Bible says that a person reaps what they sow. His poor choice came back to bite him…literally.

**Co-Host** Just like our Big Point says


**Host** **Don't Fear, Jesus Is Just!**

**Co-Host**
I think I’ll go help Rusty get his flowerbed in order. There’s always next year.

**Host**
That's a great idea! Don't forget the Big Do this week.



Don't Fear, Jesus Is Just!

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Large Group Full Program Instructions

Don't Fear, Jesus Is Just! Instructions