Leader Guide
Game
- Optional: masking tape
- Two hand towels
- Three medium-sized boxes
- Marker
- Pencils
- Paper, one-half sheet per child
Use the marker to write “JESUS” on the front of one box.
Place the “JESUS” box at one end of the room, then tape or mark a starting line about 20 feet away.
Place the other two boxes by the starting line, one for each team.
Cut the sheets of paper in half.
Our SuperTruth says, “I can turn to Jesus for all my needs.” Do you think the paralyzed man’s friends believed this?
Yes, they did! They had so much faith that they carried the man up onto the roof and opened it to get to Jesus! Mark 2:5 says that Jesus saw their faith! These men truly believed that Jesus could take care of their friend’s needs.
We are going to play a fun game where we work together to take each other’s needs to Jesus, just like the men took the paralyzed man on his mat to Jesus!
Hand out the pencils and half-sheets of paper to the children. Instruct them to write any needs that they want to bring to Jesus — their own needs or those of friends and loved ones — then crumple their papers into balls. No one will see these needs! Divide the class into two equal teams, and have the children put their crumpled “need” balls into their team’s box. If a team has one less player, simply add a crumpled ball to their box so both teams have the same number of needs.
Have the teams line up behind the line, and tell the children to find someone they don’t know very well on their team to be their partner. For both teams, the first pair of players should each pick a “need” randomly from their team’s box. Hand each pair a towel to represent a mat. They should hold onto each end of the towel, place their “needs” on the “mat,” and pull it taut between them. They should then quickly but carefully walk together to the “Jesus” box, carrying the mat between them, then gently lower the “needs” down into the box. They then must roll up the mat and hold it between them as they walk quickly back to their team and hand the towel to the next pair of players.
Be prepared to help any children with special needs, and play until everyone has carried all of the needs to Jesus. Play again if time permits.
Good job everyone! You worked together to carry real needs to Jesus! Bring the “Jesus” box to the group and lead the children in a short prayer asking Jesus to take care of each and every need that was brought to Him in faith—just as the men in the story brought their friend to Jesus.