Leader Guide

Active Game

Two chairs
Two backpacks
Eight books
Painter's tape or masking tape
See Isaiah Turn and Return Game Illustration

Place a line on the floor near one end of the room.
Place a second line of equal length about 20 feet (or as far as possible) from the first line, at the opposite end of the room.
Place the two chairs midway between the two lines. They should be facing each other with about 4–5 feet between them.
Put four books in each backpack.
Divide the children into equal teams. One child may need to play twice. Divide each team in half again. The team halves stand at opposite ends behind the lines directly across from each other, as shown in the illustration.

Turn and Return: Play a game to illustrate the SuperVerse.

David writes about the weight of guilt because of sin in Psalm 38:4,6:

⁴My guilt overwhelms me—it is a burden too heavy to bear. ⁶I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief.

Do you think God wants us to go through life like this? No!

God wants to lighten our load and take away the burden or weight of sin and shame so we can be filled with joy again! When we turn back to Him and away from sin, we will find rest and salvation in Him! He longs to strengthen and refresh us! Let’s say the SuperVerse together. Isaiah 30:15:

The Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to Me and resting in Me will you be saved.”

Walk as you talk and demonstrate how the game is played. Today, we are going to play a game to represent the SuperVerse.

Each player will put on a backpack. This represents the guilt and weight of sin. You will shuffle, heading past the chairs to the opposite line where the other half of your team is standing. You will then turn around, remove the backpack, and happily return to your chair by skipping, then sit down. This represents turning, being forgiven, and resting in God.

You will count aloud: “One rest, two rest, three!” You will then stand and happily skip home with a big smile to the line where you originally began your turn. When a player reaches the line, the next player from the opposite end will put on the backpack and take their turn. The first team to have all of their players do this wins.

Conclusion: How did it feel to take off the backpack and get rid of the weight you were carrying around? Children respond.

Why do you think you had to pass the chairs initially and then return to them? Wouldn’t it have been better to sit down the first time? Children respond.

God’s forgiveness, salvation, and rest are always available to us, yet we can choose to walk away from them. As we read in the verse, this choice has bad consequences that weigh us down with the burden of guilt from sin. God wants everyone to turn to Him, cast aside their sins, and receive His rest and salvation through Jesus. However, He will never force us to return.

Instead, He gently calls to us with His Spirit and His Word. Let’s choose to walk in the fullness of joy that Jesus gives us at the start of each day, instead of walking past and having to turn back to Him! He will always welcome us back, forgive us, and take our sins away!