Slides and Printables.zip

Slides and Printables

Slides.zip

Slides

03 sec Countdown

2 Min Countdown

Herman and Rusty Act 2

Herman and Rusty Act 3

Herman and Rusty Act 1

H&R Big Do Slide

Big Story Video

6 Min Countdown

60 sec Countdown

5 Min Countdown

Herman and Rusty Title

H&R BIG REVIEW Bumper

H&R 5 Min Countdown with Rules

Skip convinces Ethel to rank everyone in her life to decide which one is most important.

Large Group Full Program

Question of the Day: What kind of junk food do you love the most?



Countdown / Rules

The **Host** and **Co-Host** enter, wearing lab coats. This game uses heart clothes pins. You can also use regular pins place a heart sticker on them. The game is called “Peaceful Pins.” Begin by placing pins on the shirts of the kids playing the game. In this game kids must try to remove other kids’ pins, but since it’s peaceful, they must only walk, no running. The one with the most heart pins at the end of 60 seconds wins.





The **Co-Host** gives the **Host** a big hug and shakes him/her.





**Host**

Why are you squeezing the breath out of me?



**Co-Host**

To show you how much love I have for all of my friends.



**Host**

Does it have to be painful?



**Co-Host**

Like the song says, “Love Hurts.” I feel another hug about to happen.





**Host** escapes the **Co-Host**’s attempted hug.





**Host**

Speaking of love, let’s play a little game with these heart clothespins. It’s pretty simple. Our contestants will have 60 seconds to try to grab as many clips as they can off of other kids’ shirts. The twist is that you can’t run. You must walk. If you run or jog, you are out.





Optional, play game song. Play the game and count the pins.





**Co-Host**

This winner has really got heart. Get it? That’s because he/she has a lot of heart pins.



**Host**

I get it. When you see hearts around this time of year, you usually think of love. It’s everywhere from cards to candy. We’re going to discover in this series how God wants us to show our love. Let’s get ready to check in on the lab. But first, tell someone nearby something you love about your family.



Welcome

Worship

**Co-Host**

Do you think Skip is giving Ethel good advice?



**Host**

I don’t think we’re supposed to go around ranking everyone and everything that we love.





**Co-Host**

But if you were going to rank things, what would you rank me? Two? One? You’d rank me number one? Wow! (Tearing up) That means a lot. Do you hear that? Choo-choo! Here comes the hug train.





**Co-Host** chases the **Host** around.





**Host**

Actually, you are a really great friend, but our Big Point has something to say about who should be number one on our list. I need a volunteer to help us reveal it.





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





**Co-Host**

After we count down from three, you get to read the Big Point. 





**Host**

Let’s all say it together, **Love God The Most!**



**Co-Host**

Oh, that makes sense. Of course we’d put God first. No one should ever try to compete with God…but I’m at least in the top ten, right? I know your mom and dad raised you, but c’mon? We’re really good friends, right?



**Host**

Let’s look at some situations. For each one, tell us if it’s a way to show others they matter. We’ll go around and ask some of you why you think each one does or doesn’t show love.



Read the scenarios and have the kids respond whether each one does or doesn’t show love by giving a thumbs up or down. Then interview a child and ask why they think it does or does not show love.



 - Spending time with someone

 - Ignoring a person when he or she speaks

 - Forgetting someone’s birthday

 - Making a special homemade gift

 - Saying hurtful things about someone

 - Telling someone the truth

 - Obeying a leader

 - Pretending to not know someone around others

 - Taking time to call someone on the phone

 - Returning a smile with an angry frown





**Host**

If someone said that they truly loved you, but did most of those negative actions, would you believe that person really loved you? You might question how deep their love is.



**Co-Host**

Sometimes we do those exact things to God. If we really love Him, then we should probably act like we love Him. I guess it doesn’t help to say we love God but do the opposite.



**Host**

Right, if we really love God the most, then let’s do our best to show that to Him. After all, God has already shown His love for us in the greatest way possible. He created us and gave His life for us so that we can be part of His family. Let’s see if Ethel can ignore Skip’s bad advice. 





Engage 1

Engage 2 Prep: Prepare the Poster by choosing a category and placing pictures of items from that category on the poster such as favorite snacks, shows, etc. As the kids enter class, and prior to the service, have kids place a heart sticker underneath the item on the poster that they love the most. This Poster will be used in this Engage.

**Host**

Can you believe that Skip ranked his microphone as number one? How could someone love their microphone more than his mom or dad?



**Co-Host**

Yeah, he’s trying to get Ethel to rank stuff above God. I’m glad the crew has tried to help her understand the Big Point. Let’s say our Big Point, 

**Co-Host**

**Love God The Most!**



**Host**

Herman shared a Big Verse that was really helpful. Let’s choose an assistant to help us reveal it.





**Co-Host**

After we count down from three, will you please read the verse? 



**Co-Host**

Deuteronomy 5:7 (NIrV) says, “Do not put any other gods in place of Me.”



**Host**

Back when the Bible was written, a lot of people worshipped fake gods. They called them gods, but they were nothing like the one true God. Sometimes they worshipped the sun or moon, other times they worshipped statues.



**Co-Host**

That seems pretty crazy right? Before service began, we had you guys rank what you loved the most out of (Category) with a heart sticker. Let’s see which one ranked the highest.



Show the poster and reveal the results.





**Host**

What if I told you that since (item) won the contest, we’re now all going to worship it, sing songs about it, raise our hands to it, pray to it, write books about it, and tell everyone how much we love it.



**Co-Host**

That would seem ridiculous, right? No one would worship (item). Did you know that whatever you love the most becomes what you worship? If you really, deep down, love baseball the most, then that actually is like your god. If you love to dance the most, then dancing is your god. Even something good like school, if it’s more important to you than Jesus, can become your god.



**Host**

It might seem crazy to worship a statue or a star, but it’s easy for us to worship things around us when we don’t focus on making God number one in our lives. That’s why we must love Him the most. In a moment, we’ll see what happens when some people didn’t do that. First let’s stand and give the true God our worship.



Engage 2

Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes. Think for just a moment about what you’ve been putting first in your life. Who or what do you think about the most? What do you prefer spending your time and energy doing? If it’s God, then you are doing awesome. But if there’s something else that’s sitting at number one, then it’s time to rethink the order of things. You can’t be a follower of Jesus unless you make the choice to love God and make Him number one. If you’d like to pray about making the right choice for who’s number one in your life, give me a thumbs up. (Pause) That’s awesome! Take a moment at your seat to talk to God. Tell Him you’re sorry for putting something else in His place and make a commitment to love God the most. (Pause to allow kids to pray) Let’s all pray together.







Big Story

**Host** and **Co-Host** enter. Bake some cookies without sugar. Have some regular cookies on a separate tray.





**Co-Host**

I’m glad that Ethel learned who belongs in the number one spot.



**Host**

The Israelites in our Big Story discovered that truth the hard way. Worshipping a golden cow got them in some hot water. It’s always better when you follow our Big Point, 

**Host**

**Love God The Most!**



**Co-Host**

That’s a story you can share with your family when you do this week’s Big Do.



**Host**

Instead of using your free time for yourself, take some time to spend with God. You can listen to a worship song, watch a show about God, or read your Bible.



**Co-Host**

It’s important to put God first because if you don’t do that, things get messy. Who loves cookies? Let’s get someone to taste test these on the tray.





Bring a kid up to taste a cookie that was baked without sugar.





**Host**

How did that taste? Not good, right? They looked like regular cookies, but they’re missing a key ingredient: sugar. When we don’t love God the most, our life is missing a key ingredient. 

**Co-Host**

Things just aren’t the same when God isn’t first. This cookie has all of the right ingredients. Have a taste.





Have the child taste a regular cookie.







**Host**

Always make sure you keep God in the right spot, at the top. Let’s turn and connect with our small groups and talk about loving God.



Engage 3

Gather the kids into small groups and discuss the following. 





- Why do you think people have a hard time loving God more than stuff or activities? Why is it important to love God the most? **Loving God the most shows that we worship Him as our only God. It puts everything else in the right place – under Him.**

- What did the Israelites choose to worship while Moses was gone? **Golden calf** Why do you think that God was angry they did that? **They treated the calf like it was the thing that had saved them from Egypt. They made the calf more important. They chose something fake over someone real.**

- What is one way that you can show God how much you love Him this week?

- What did Herman tell us to do with our families in the Big Do? **Spend time with God, reading the Bible, listening to a worship song or watching a show about God**

Small Group

Optional, play game music. Choose two kids from the audience to come on stage and answer the question. 

 - Our Big Point says Love God The _____!

    - **Most**

    - Least



 - What did Skip convince Ethel to do?

    - Pray

    - **Rank how much she loved things**



 - What did the Israelites ask Moses’ brother to create?

    - A book

    - **Golden calf**



 - Aaron told the Israelites that the calf statue was the god who saved them.

    - **True**

    - False



 - God was not happy with the Israelites’ choice.

    - **True**

    - False





 - Deuteronomy 5:7 (NIrV), “Do not put any other _____ in place of Me.”

    - People

    - **gods**



 - Name a way to show God that you love Him.



 - What could you do if you notice that you have made something or someone more important than God?



 - You can’t make something like a sport or school your god.

    - True

    - **False**



  - What challenge did Herman give us as this week’s Big Do?  **Spend time with God, reading the Bible, listening to a worship song or watching a show about God**

Big Review

Large Group Abbreviated

The **Host** and **Co-Host** enter, wearing lab coats.

**Host**

I'm not sure that's what that means. Anyway, when you see hearts around this time of year, you usually think of love. It’s everywhere from cards to candy. We’re going to discover in this series how God wants us to show our love. Let’s get ready to check in on the lab. But first, tell someone nearby something you love about your family.

**Host**

Let’s all say it together, **Love God The Most!**

**Co-Host**

Oh, that makes sense. Of course we’d put God first. No one should ever try to compete with God…but I’m at least in the top ten, right? I know your mom and dad raised you, but c’mon? We’re really good friends, right?





**Host**

Of course we are. But the best way to show how we love others is in our action. I mean if someone said they loved you but were mean to you would you believe that person really loved you? You might question how deep their love is.

**Co-Host**

Sometimes we do that exact thing to God. If we really love Him, then we should probably act like we love Him. I guess it doesn’t help to say we love God but do the opposite.

**Host**

Right, if we really love God the most, then let’s do our best to show that to Him. After all, God has already shown His love for us in the greatest way possible. He created us and gave His life for us so that we can be part of His family. Let’s see if Ethel can ignore Skip’s bad advice.

**Co-Host**

Deuteronomy 5:7 (NIrV) says, “Do not put any other gods in place of Me.”

**Host**

Back when the Bible was written, a lot of people worshipped fake gods. They called them gods, but they were nothing like the one true God. Sometimes they worshipped the sun or moon, other times they worshipped statues.

**Co-Host**

That seems pretty crazy right? 

**Host**

It might seem crazy to worship a statue or a star, but it’s easy for us to worship things around us when we don’t focus on making God number one in our lives. That’s why we must love Him the most. In a moment, we’ll see what happens when some people didn’t do that. First let’s stand and give the true God our worship.

**Host**

Instead of using your free time for yourself, take some time to spend with God. You can listen to a worship song, watch a show about God, or read your Bible.

**Co-Host**

It’s important to put God first because if you don’t do that, things get messy. 

**Host**

That's right. Always make sure you keep God in the right spot, at the top. Let’s turn and connect with our small groups and talk about loving God.

Midweek / Classroom

Hey guys, welcome to the Lab! Raise your hand if you have a favorite toy or game that you like to play. You may have many toys, but there’s that one that you love more than all the rest. Or maybe there’s a dinner that your mom makes that is at the top of your list. (Insert your favorite meal) was my absolute favorite meal growing up. Did you know that God cares about what we love the most? That’s what we will hear tonight, but before we do, turn to your neighbor and tell him or her your favorite dessert of all time! 



**Leader** enters, dressed in a lab coat. 

It’s now time to break up into your Small Groups. Go ahead and turn to your Small Group Leader now. 

Split into groups. Optional, play game music.

Small Group Leader,

Use these two minutes to introduce yourself to your kids and go over the rules you have for your group. This will set the expectation and show the kids clear boundaries, setting your group up for success. The ball can be used as a tool to signify whose turn it is to respond. 



**Leader**

It’s time for Lab Wars! During Lab Wars we battle it out, team against team, until one group stands victorious. Tonight we will see which Small Group can best guess America’s favorite things. Each Small Group has a set of cards labeled A, B, C, or D. I will show you a slide with some items, as a group choose which one Americans love the most! 









Play the game. Optional, play game music.



 



That was a fun game! Everyone has things they love more than others, but does it matter what we love the most? I think this is something Ethel is going to discover today. Let’s check in with our friends in the Lab to see what they find out.

Lab Wars

Do you think Skip is giving Ethel good advice? We don’t need to go around ranking everyone and everything that we love, but it is important what takes that number one seat. I think our Big Point has something to say about this. I need a Small Group to help me reveal what it is. 

Let’s all say it together, **Love God The Most!** No one should ever compete with God. If we love God the most, then we want to show Him! Let’s turn to our Small Groups and talk more about this. 

Small Group Leader,

Each Small Group has paper with the following statements printed on them. As a group, discuss what is written on each paper and whether or not it describes a way we can show God we love Him.

Hold up and read what is on each card. Then ask this question: “Is this a way we can show God that we love Him?” If it is, place the card in the center of your group. If not, toss it to the side.

 - Spending time with Him

 - Ignoring Him when He speaks

 - Telling Him the truth

 - Obeying Him

 - Pretending to not know Him when around others

 - Talking to Him about your day

 - Forgetting to say thank you

 - Coming to church to worship Him

 - Talking about Him with others

 - Not doing what He asks you to do

 - Reading His words to us in the Bible

**Leader**

I’m glad you guys found so many ways we can show God love. God has already shown His love for us in the greatest way possible. He created us and gave His life for us so that we can be part of His family. The best way to respond to His love is to follow our Big Point, 

**Love God the Most!** Let’s see if Ethel can ignore Skip’s unwise advice.



**Leader**

Can you believe that Skip ranked his microphone as number one? How could someone love their microphone more than their mom or dad? Plus, he’s trying to get Ethel to rank stuff above God. I’m glad the crew has tried to help her understand the Big Point. Let’s say our Big Point again, 

**Love God The Most!** Herman shared a Big Verse that was very helpful. Let’s choose a Small Group to help us reveal it. 

Choose a small group to count it down. 



Deuteronomy 5:7 (NIrV) says, “Do not put any other gods in place of Me.” When you put other things above God, it’s like you choose to worship that thing instead of God! A great way to see what is first in your life is to look at how you spend your time. Let’s turn to our Small Groups and do an activity that explores more about this. 

Small Group Leader,

Start by scooping the beans into the jar. As you do, ask this question:





What are some things you spend your time doing? Playing sports, spending time with friends, school, playing video games, doing homework, etc. 





The ping pong balls represent the time we spend with God, like when we pray, worship Him, read and obey His Word, and come to church! It’s hard to fit God into your life when you put all of these other things first. (Try to put the ping pong balls into the jar) Let’s see what happens when we put God first. 





Do the illustration again, this time starting with the ping pong balls and then adding the beans. 





**Leader**

This activity gave us a great picture of how things can be different when we put God first. When we choose to love God the most, He takes care of all the other things. Let’s say our Big Point altogether, 

**Love God The Most!** We didn’t make up our Big Point. We got it from Jesus! Let’s listen to a story about a group who didn’t completely understand our Big Point and were taught an important lesson. 



Sometimes we get it wrong; I know I have. We put other things above God and our life gets all out of order. The cool thing is that we can always make the decision to change and place God at the top of the list, where He belongs. Tonight you have an opportunity to do that in your Small Group. Turn to your Leader and do that now. 



Small Group Leader,

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





 - What is something you spend your time doing often or think about a lot? 



 - If you are completely honest with yourself, is God the most important thing in your life?



 - What is one way that you can show God how much you love Him this week?



 - Let’s take a moment and talk to God. If He hasn’t been number one in your life, tell Him you’re sorry for putting something else in His place. Then make the decision to love God the most. (Give the kids a few moments to pray)

 



**Leader**

Being a follower of Jesus means God is the most important thing in your life. You can’t be a follower of Jesus unless you make the choice to love God and make Him number one. Our Big Point is so important, 



**Love God The Most!** Let’s see if Ethel makes that choice.  

I’m glad that Ethel learned who belongs in the number one spot. The Israelites in our Big Story discovered that truth the hard way. Worshipping a golden cow got them in some hot water. It’s always better when you follow our Big Point, 

**Love God The Most!** That’s a story you can share with your family when you do this week’s Big Do. 





Instead of using all your free time for yourself, use some of your time to spend with God. You can listen to a worship song, watch a show about God, or read your Bible. Let’s turn to our Small Groups and finish up tonight’s lesson.  



Small Group Leader,

Use this time to hand out any positive reinforcement tools (i.e. Candy, stickers, prize coupons, etc.) Tell your group how much you enjoyed spending time with them this week. Finally, end your time together with a prayer and maybe a group cheer.

Love God The Most

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Large Group Full Program Instructions

Love God The Most Instructions