Ask Forgiveness And Forgive!

Host

Welcome to the Lab! These kids are going to see how many times they can punch the balloon without missing.

Co-host

On your mark, get set, go!

Host

Great job to our winners.

Co-host

What makes that game hard is how fast the balloon comes flying back at your face.

Host

It’s kind of unpredictable, too. It could go left, right, or straight into your nose. It’s a lot like unforgiveness.

Co-host

Really? How?

Host

When you don’t forgive, you try to hurt someone else, but it always comes back and hurts you, too. It’s something Jesus talked about in the Lord’s Prayer.

Co-host

In that case, it must be really important. Let’s stand up and get ready to worship. As you do, tell someone nearby which person in your family is best at saying, “I’m sorry.”

Host

Wow, everyone seems pretty angry at the lab.

Co-host

Have you ever gotten that mad at your brother or sister? Have you ever stormed out of the room? What’s the longest you’ve stayed angry at them?

Host

Let’s see what Jesus taught us to pray when we feel like this by looking at our Big Point.

Co-host

Let’s all say it together: Ask Forgiveness And Forgive! When we pray, we should be quick to ask forgiveness for our own mistakes and forgive others for theirs.

Host

Why do you think Jesus would include that in His model prayer?

Host

Let me ask you this. Who is more important, me or God? God, of course.

Co-host

Who’s more important between (Famous athlete) or God? Still God.

Host

What about between God and the president? Yep, God is more important.

Co-host

Wait, what about between God and the richest person in the world? God is still more important.

Host

God is the most important of all. Does God forgive us? Are you sure?

Co-host

Let's look at the Bible...

Host

If it’s good enough for God to forgive, and He’s clearly the most important, then should we be just as willing to forgive?

Co-host

Refusing to forgive is like saying I’m more important than God. It’s saying that when people treat me badly, it’s so much worse than when people disobey God.

Host

You can’t really follow God or make Him the number one leader in your life if you don’t follow His example and forgive.

Co-host

Thankfully, when you ask God for forgiveness, He will forgive you. That’s a relief. Let’s see if the crew in the lab will do that.

Host

I can’t believe they turned on Herman during that pillow fight.

Co-host

Even Slimey got involved. Everyone is so angry, but no one wants to be the first to let it go.

Host

If they don’t follow Big Point soon, the whole lab might fall apart. Let’s say it again, Ask Forgiveness And Forgive! Let’s choose an assistant to reveal the Big Verse from the Bible.

Host

The Big Verse comes from Matthew 6:12 (NIrV), “And forgive us our sins, just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.”

Co-host

There are good reasons why we do that. For one, it’s wise to obey Jesus. But there are some other good things that happen when you ask and give forgiveness.

Host

We asked some friends to help us demonstrate what we mean. I’m going to give each of them a balloon. When I ask you to add some air, blow up the balloon until I say, “Stop.” Then just hold it closed until we ask you to add more.

Co-host

Let’s think about making wrong choices. When you do the wrong thing, do you usually feel bad? Yeah, you feel guilty and ashamed of yourself. Let’s add some air to those balloons.

Host

You can stop for now. The problem is that if you don’t ask God for forgiveness, guilt and shame build up. Blow it up again. (Allow them to blow it up until it’s large) They look ready to pop.

Co-host

When you ask forgiveness, and God forgives you, then His forgiveness allows you to let go of those guilty feelings. Let’s hold the balloons and let the air out.

Host

When someone hurts you, and you don’t forgive, you fill up with something different. Anger. Let’s blow the balloons up again.

Co-host

Stop. Look at how much air is in those balloons. They could pop. It’s not good to be filled with so much anger. But forgiving others releases that anger. Let the balloons go.

Host

Asking for forgiveness and forgiving is important. Doing both helps you live the kind of life God wants you to live. It’s so much better. Trust me. Let’s stand and worship God.

Storyteller

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 the perfect day to ask forgiveness! I’d like everyone to close your eyes and bow your heads, so no one is distracted.

If you have already said, “Yes” to Jesus, you believe He is alive, and you are His friend and follower, give me a thumbs up. That’s 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, ask Him to forgive you, and tell Him you want to live your life differently, raise your hand. We’re going to pray all together. 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.

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 Yes! To You!Yes to You being the leader of my life.I choose to honor you in everything I do.Thank you for being my best friend.Amen.

If you prayed that prayer for the very first time today, then I want you to share that good news. We are so excited for you and want to talk to you about it. When we break into small groups today, you can join a special small group just for kids who said, “Yes” for the first time. Look for the special sign as we break later.

Host

Can you believe that the servant who had been forgiven for so much refused to forgive his fellow servant who owed only a little?

Co-host

That’s how we are when we don’t follow the Big Point, Ask Forgiveness And Forgive!

Host

That would be a great story to share as you do this week’s Big Do. Think of one person in your family that you need to forgive and do it. Then, think of one person you need to ask to forgive you and ask them.

Co-host

As Christians, we receive forgiveness and then give it to others; let’s play a fun game where we do just that.

Host

In this game, your goal is to empty your bucket of candy/ping pong balls into the other teams’ buckets. See who can have the smallest amount left at the end of 60 seconds.

Host

Great job to our winners. Let’s gather with our small groups and discuss what we’ve learned today.

• Is it hard to say you’re sorry when you’ve done something wrong? Why do people have trouble doing that sometimes? Why is it important to tell God you’re sorry? How about other people?
• How did the servant in the story disrespect the king’s forgiveness? (By not forgiving the other servant) Do you think God is upset when we refuse to forgive people? Why?
• How do you feel when you forgive someone? Can you forgive someone and stay mad at them? Is it okay to forgive, but not hang around with someone who has hurt you? We can forgive and not try to make someone pay, but we don’t have to hang out with someone who is mean or hurts us
• What is the Big Do? Think of one person in your family that you need to forgive and do it. Then, think of one person you need to ask to forgive you and ask them.