March 1-2, 2014 Matthew 18:23-35 The Unmerciful Servant God has

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March 1-2, 2014
The Unmerciful Servant
Matthew 18:23-35
God has forgiven us, so we should forgive
others.
Connect Time (15 minutes): Five
minutes after the service begins, split
kids into groups and begin their activity.
Large Group (30 minutes): Begin 20
minutes after the service starts. Model
what it looks like to be engaged in large
group.
As kids come in, try to connect with them
right away. Address them by name and
ask them about their day or how they’re
doing. Introduce them to other kids if
they don’t know anybody.
Small Group (15 minutes): Keep kids in
small groups until parents arrive. If you
all have extra time at the end, you can
review the video and songs together.
As kids leave, remind them to keep track
of their fabric square. Encourage them to
tell their parents that it’s supposed to
remind them of how good it feels to be
forgiven by God.
Today’s story is another parable: the
parable of the unjust servant. We’re
learning that since God forgave us for
every single wrong thing we’ve done (or
will do!), we need to forgive others too.
GOAL: Connect Time is all about engaging kids in an activity that allows them to
connect with each other right away while simultaneously piquing their curiosity for Large
Group and preparing their minds for what they’re going to hear.
SNOWBALL FIGHT
*Split into small groups or play altogether.
• Stand in a circle.
• Each kid gets one sheet of paper.
• They have 30 seconds to make “snowballs”—wad the paper into one or several
balls.
• On the count of three, from where they are standing, they have to launch their
snowballs. If kids get hit OR move their feet, they have to sit.
• Have your snowball fight! Congratulate those left standing.
• ASK those who are sitting:
o How does it feel to have to sit?
o Does it make you mad? Why or why not?
• CLEAN UP. PUT “SNOWBALLS” IN THE BIN TO BE RECYCLED or the TRASH.
Then gather as small groups. Ask kids about the best/worst parts of their weeks.
Before you go to Large Group, remind kids of the expectations for Large Group
behavior: (1) be kind, (2) listen when somebody speaks, and (3) follow the leader’s
instructions.
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Goal: to help kids (1) retell the story, (2) relate to the characters, and (3) understand the
truth Jesus revealed through the parable.
Why? Acting upon the truth in this story is hard. So we want kids to prepare for action by
really grasping the meaning and application Jesus intended.
Tip: This is a guided discussion. Kids have ways to interact while you process through the
meaning. Present it in a structured manner.
ACTIVITY TO REVIEW THE STORY
*Put the crown (you may have to construct it) and ALL the pieces of material in a pile in the
middle of the table/small group.
1. Pass a post-it to each kid.
a. On your post-it, write one word to describe the king in this story.
b. Stick it to the crown
c. Share.
d. ASK: If we know the king in this story is like God, what does this story teach us
about God?
2. Think about how the servant felt when the king forgave him.
a. Choose a piece of material from the center of the table that you think
describes how the servant felt.
b. Have kids tell a partner (or the table) which they chose and why.
c. Put all the pieces of material in a pile.
d. ASK: How does it feel to be forgiven?
3. Think about how the other guy felt when the servant choked him.
a. Choose a piece of material from the center of the table that you think
describes how the other guy felt.
b. Have kids tell a partner (or the table) which they chose and why.
c. Put all the pieces of material in a pile.
d. ASK: How does it feel when someone refuses to forgive us? Or when we stay
angry? What kinds of things do we do when we don’t forgive others? (start
rumors; get into fights; get angry, etc.)
4. Discussion questions:
a. Why do you think the servant choked the man who owed him a hundred
dollars? Why is it so hard for us to forgive?
(Continue on the following page)
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b. Why did the king get so angry at the servant for not forgiving? Why does God
want us to forgive, no matter how many times someone hurts us?
FORGIVENESS ACTIVITY
Choose a piece of material from the pile that represents how the servant felt when the king
forgave him. Using the fabric marker, write at least one thing God has forgiven you for—or
done for you (e.g. sent Jesus to take our punishment!).
SAY: It feels good to be forgiven. And remembering God forgave us can help us to
remember to forgive others. Put this piece of material in your pocket/purse/shoe this week.
Use it to remember to do what Jesus commanded in Matthew 22:37-38: Jesus replied,
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all
your mind.’ This is the first and most important commandment. And the second is
like it. ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’”
*Pray together, thanking God for his forgiveness and asking him to help us forgive.
*Some kids may be victims of bullying or worse. Discuss how it’s not OK for people
to hurt them (just like it’s not OK for us to hurt others). But Jesus wants our response
to be forgiveness, even if we need to separate ourselves from that situation. God
doesn’t want us to get hurt, just like the king in the story didn’t want the guy to get
choked. But he also doesn’t want us to grow angry or bitter. Focus on OUR response,
since that’s the part we can control, and Matthew 22:37-38.
Extra time? Split your small group into two teams and have each team compete to act
today’s story out most accurately. They can use props from the room. Or tear a sheet of
blank paper into small slips, have kids write down one way to love God or others this week,
and use their examples to play charades or Pictionary.
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When teaching this story, it’s important to
consider that some kids have been
victimized by bullying or worse. Pray that
the Holy Spirit will help kids understand
how to forgive and separate themselves
from an unhealthy or dangerous
situation, if necessary (those are not
mutually exclusive!).
Preview the first video clip here:
www.wingclips.com/movieclips/despicable-me/fluffy-prize
The second can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTO0
0bUHCjU Hi kids! Welcome to Kids’ Club. It’s great to see you here today. It sure looked like a blizzard in
your rooms a few minutes ago…snowballs were flying! Raise your hand if you got hit with a
snowball and had to sit down (let kids respond).
OK, will one of you tell me how it felt? (Let 1 kid respond.) Hmmm, that makes sense. Were you
mad at the person who hit you? (Guide kid toward understanding that they could have hit that
person too, if they had aimed at him/her. So it’s not really appropriate to be mad.)
INTRO: PEOPLE WILL HURT US
You know, everybody was throwing snowballs at each other. It’s not very fun to be hit…but the
truth is you probably hit some people too, right!?
Sometimes in life people make us mad, don’t they? Raise your hand if you’ve ever been angry
at somebody (raise your own hand too). Yep, that’s what I thought…but raise your hand if
somebody’s been angry at you (raise your own hand too). Yeah, unfortunately, I—and all of
you—have done something to make someone else mad too.
JESUS WANTS US TO FORGIVE
Now, when somebody treats us badly—maybe they call us a name or talk about us behind our
back—how do we usually react? (Let kids respond.) Sure, we get mad. Maybe we even try to
get back. Let’s watch a clip to imagine what this can look like:
Video: Despicable Me Clip
Wow, when somebody made Gru mad, he got even, didn’t he!? And in a movie like that, it’s
kind of funny. But the truth is, that’s not how Jesus taught us to live. Jesus taught us to forgive
people. In fact, one of Jesus’ disciples, Peter, said, “Lord, how many times do I have to forgive
someone who hurts me or does something mean to me? Do I have to forgive him 7 times?”
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Guess what Jesus said? He said, “Not just seven! Seventy-seven!” Jesus wasn’t really telling
us to keep count. But he was telling us that even if somebody keeps hurting us over and over
and over again, we have to forgive them. Fortunately, he also told us WHY we should forgive.
THE PARABLE OF THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT
He showed us why through a parable. Does anybody remember what a parable is? (Let kids
respond.) Yes, it’s a story that teaches us a lesson. This story teaches us why we should
forgive. See, there’s a king in this story, and he’s like God! There’s a servant in this story, and
he’s like us. As you watch, see if you can figure out why the king gets mad at the servant:
Video: The Unjust Servant
So did anybody figure out why the king got so mad at the servant? (Let kids respond.) Yes, the
servant was forgiven by the king: he didn’t have to pay back the millions of silver he owed. But
then, he turned around and demanded to get paid back a hundred silver coins from another
guy. If the KING could forgive the servant owing him a million dollars, the servant should forgive
a hundred!
WE FORGIVE BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN FORGIVEN
So if the king is like God and the servant is like us, why should WE forgive? (Let kids guess.)
Well, we are like that servant. God has forgiven us for disobeying him. He sent Jesus to take
our punishment—we are completely free. God chose to be patient with us because he loves us.
And now that we know what it’s like to be forgiven, we need to forgive other people, no matter
what they do to us. No matter if they’re sorry or not. Remember our verse:
SLIDE: Matthew 22:37-38: Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul. Love him with all your mind.’ This is the first and most important
commandment. And the second is like it. ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’”
That might sound hard to do. But if we remember all the things WE did wrong, we’ll love God
back (point to the first part). And when we remember all God did for us, we’ll want to forgive
others too.
That’s not easy in a world where people hurt us. It’s kind of like the snowball game. We get
frustrated when we get treated badly. But we’ve done wrong things too. And when we focus on
being thankful that God forgave us, we can forgive others.
WORSHIP
Now let’s praise God for loving us so much that no matter what we’ve done, he forgives us! We
are his kids, and he loves us. Our second song talks about how God makes us brave.
Sometimes, that means we have to ask him to help us to be brave and forgive somebody.
Music Video: I’m Yours
Song: Bravery (with hand motions)
PRAY: Ask somebody to come and thank God for his amazing forgiveness!
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1 piece of paper per kid
1. Markers
2. Bible
3. Post-its
4. 1 piece per kid of felt OR fabric (can be post-it
sized; please have both available, but can have half
felt/half fabric)
5. 1 piece per kid of sandpaper OR burlap (can be
Bible
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Video: Despicable Me clip:
http://www.wingclips.com/movieclips/despicable-me/fluffy-prize
Video: The Unjust Servant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTO00b
UHCjU
Matthew 22:37-38: Jesus replied, “‘Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul. Love him with all your mind.’
This is the first and most important
commandment. And the second is like it.
‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’”
Music Video: I’m Yours
Song: Bravery (with hand motions)
Tell me about the unmerciful servant.
What does today’s parable teach us?
We’ve been looking at parables for the last couple
weeks, and today we learned about the story of the
unmerciful servant. It teaches us that we must forgive
others, because we’ve been forgiven by God. Ask
your kid about it. And if you want, read it together in
Matthew 18:23-35.
post-it sized; please have both available but can have
half sandpaper and half burlap)
6. Fabric markers: (OT: IN-56/913 or IN-56/4043 or
IN-56/4011; whatever makes the most sense in terms
of prep, etc; no need for color variety in this age
group)
7. One paper crown per small group