Leader Guide
Game
- Dedication Sign Pattern
- Dedication Strip Pattern
- Two containers or boxes, the same size
- Painters tape or masking tape
- Pencils
- Children’s scissors
Make two copies of the Dedication Sign.
Make copies of the Dedication Strip Pattern—one per child plus extras.
Tape a Dedication Sign to each box or container.
Place the boxes in the middle of the room, leaving several feet between the boxes.
Place a line or mark about 6 feet from the boxes. You may choose to place a second mark further away for older students.
Who can say today’s SuperTruth? “I will dedicate my life to the Lord.”
Do you remember what it means? To commit or make a decision to give yourself to God; to honor and serve Him every day. When you dedicate yourself to God, you belong to Him!
That’s what it means to “go all in”! No part of your life is held back from God; He has your ALL!
Let’s read something Jesus said about committing yourself to God. Read Mark 12:29–30:
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’”
When we dedicate our lives to God, we are to love Him with every part of our being. Can you remember all four parts of ourselves that the verse named? Heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Jesus also said we must love others. It is not possible to truly dedicate our lives to serve God without loving and serving others. In this game, you will shoot each strip into the box. This represents giving every part of yourself to God; putting ALL of you IN.
Give a Dedication Strip Pattern to each child, along with children’s scissors. Explain that by writing their names on the lines of the first four strips, they are committing or dedicating that part of themselves to God. On the fifth line they are dedicating their service to others to glorify God. Have the children carefully cut out each strip on their sheet and then crumple each strip into a ball.
Divide the children into two equal teams. If teams are unequal, have a leader play. Teams play simultaneously.
The first two players will shoot all of their strips toward their team’s box to try to get them “ALL IN.” If a strip misses the box, the player must quickly pick it up and shoot it from where it landed until the player’s strips are “All In.”
The next player then takes a turn.
Be prepared to help children with special needs.
Conclusion: When we dedicate our lives to the Lord and go “All In” with Him, we all win! Like Samuel, we will grow in the favor of God and others. We will fulfill God’s will for our lives. Let’s go to our Signpost teaching now and learn how Samuel’s life pointed to Jesus!