I Was Made Different

Host

Welcome to the Lab!

Co-host

Welcome to the Lab!

Host

Stop copying me.

Co-host

Stop copying me.

Host

I’m serious.

Co-host

I’m serious.

Host

This is annoying.

Co-host

This is annoying.

Host

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Co-host

What he/she said.

Host

Why are you copying me?

Co-host

To prepare everyone for our game. It’s called Copycat. I’m going to make a sound or motion. We have two teams on stage. When I do something, the first player on the team has to copy what I do. Then the next player copies, and the next, and the next. But if you go out of turn or forget, you lose. Let’s play.

Host

The winners did a good job copying you.

Co-host

I know. Why are we even teaching today? These kids obviously understand what we’re learning, you know, how we’re always supposed to copy the crowd and do what everyone else is doing.

Host

Hold up. Wait just a minute. That’s not what we’re learning at all. In fact, we’re learning the opposite. Sometimes, you have to be different from others. Before we get started, let’s check in with our friends at the lab.

Host

I can’t believe that Rusty is planning to copy a video of cats skydiving. Does anyone else think that might be a little crazy?

Co-host

He could get seriously hurt if he makes that choice. You don’t want to copy people who make unwise choices, or you could end up in trouble yourself.

Host

Have you ever had a substitute teacher at school, and a few kids begin disrupting the class or acting disrespectfully? Before long, it seems like most of the class has joined in.

Co-host

It’s tempting to follow along so you don’t seem like the oddball. Doing the opposite can cause you to be made fun of, too.

Host

That’s when we must choose between honoring and obeying God or joining in with the crowd. Let’s see what our Big Point says to do.

Co-host

Lead us as we count down from three and then read the Big Point.

Co-host

Let’s all say it together, I Was Made To Be Different! Even if everyone else is doing the same thing, it’s okay to be different if it means obeying God.

Host

Let’s play a game about different. It’s a crowd scavenger hunt. This time, you’ll each be looking for people on your team who are different than you. The fastest to find all, or most, of them wins.

Co-host

It’s not always easy to be different, but doing the right thing isn’t always the easy thing to do.

Host

Thankfully, God gives us the strength to follow Him even when that means being different. It’s okay to disappoint your friends if doing so pleases God. Let’s help Rusty choose something different.

Host

Rusty will be in big trouble if he doesn’t stop copying everything he sees online.

Co-host

He and Ethel are very confused about being leaders. They think that leading means following the crowd. That’s not true. Leading means doing the right things and helping others make the right choices.

Host

To do that, you need to remember our Big Point

Host

I Was Made To Be Different! Let’s choose an assistant to reveal the Big Verse to see what different looks like.

Co-host

Yell it out as we count down from three, and then read the verse.

Co-host

The Big Verse comes from Romans 12:2 (NIrV), “Don’t live the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely changed.”

Host

Our world wants to make you fit its way of thinking. That means you are encouraged to join in with behaviors and thoughts that don’t match God’s truth. It’s kind of like our minds are playdough. Let’s have a friend help us.

Co-host

Do you guys remember playing with playdough? The fun part is that you can shape it into almost anything you can imagine. I like using molds. Let’s have our assistant use these molds to create some playdough shapes.

Host

Just like molds change the shape of playdough, our world wants to change how you think and act. The world around us wants us to fit its mold.

Co-host

But we were made to be different. We don’t fit into the same kind of thinking as people who don’t follow God. We think and act like God wants us to think and act.

Host

Following God brings good things to your life. That’s what we’re going to see in our Big Story today. First, let’s stand and worship God.

Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes. You were made for a special purpose: to serve God and His wonderful, big plan. If you have friends who honor God and obey His Word, then enjoy following God together. But if you see kids at school disobeying, disrespecting, and disturbing others, then God asks you to be different. He wants to give you the courage and power to stand up and walk in the opposite direction of everyone else. It’s not always the easy choice, but it’s the best choice and one worth making. We have some leaders up front who would love to pray with you. They know God can help you be a leader to others in your schools, on your teams, in your neighborhoods, and even at home. As we sing the next song, come to the front if you’d like to pray with one of our leaders and ask God to give you courage and make you a leader. I believe that you were made to be different.

Co-host

Let’s say the Big Point again,

Co-host

I Was Made To Be Different!

Host

I love that Daniel was willing to be different from everyone else. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to stand up for the right things, but Daniel decided that honoring God was more important than fitting in with the crowd.

Co-host

You can tell your family all about Daniel when you do this week’s Big Do.

Host

As a family, choose a new restaurant or meal to eat for dinner. Then, talk about how we can be different as we serve God.

Co-host

Let’s test your ability to spot differences. We are going to show two pictures that look the same, but there are differences between them. Let’s see if we can find them all.

Host

Great job! Let’s gather with our Small Groups and discuss what we’ve learned today.

• Whom did Rusty want to copy? Cats without parachutes and daredevils Why was that a bad idea? What should Rusty have done?

• What was Daniel pressured to do in the new city of Babylon? Eat food that disobeyed God’s laws Why was it hard for Daniel to say no? He was a captive in the city. This city did not worship God. He was required to eat what the king told them. What happened when Daniel chose to be different?

• Why is it important to be different from people who disobey God? What choices can you make if other kids are making unwise choices?

• What is the Big Do? As a family, choose a new restaurant or meal to eat for dinner. Then, talk about how we can be different as we serve God