Timing Game

First, let’s answer the question from Large Group. What did Mary do when Jesus returned to Bethany? Mary fell at Jesus’ feet. She told Jesus that Lazarus would not have died if He had been there. (See John 11:32.)

Great job watching and listening to the video! Mary was sad that her brother had died while they were waiting for Jesus to come. She didn’t understand that God had something greater in mind!

It is hard to be patient when waiting for something important. Today, our game is all about timing. It is similar to a familiar game called “Hot Potato.” Hold up a ball.

Each ball represents an action or answer from God. It could be an answer to prayer, an instruction, a blessing, or anything else you can receive from God. Each group of children will stand in a circle. When the music starts, the player with the ball will say the first word of the SuperTruth, then quickly toss the ball to any other player in the circle. That person will catch it and say the next word, and so on. Remember, you’re not allowed to hold the ball more than a second or 2! You may look on the board if necessary. When the music stops, the player holding the ball wins the round and steps out of the circle. If no one was holding the ball, the player who tossed it last wins. Congratulations; you received your answer! The music starts again and play continues as before with the remaining players saying the SuperTruth. When you finish the last word of the SuperTruth, start over again. Does everyone understand how we play? Demonstrate this if necessary within a group.

Divide the class into groups of four to six children, and give each group a ball. Start the music, then stop it at random times during the game.

Optional play for Grades 4–6: give each group a pencil and sheet of paper or cardstock. Have the players write their names on the sheet to record points. Before each round, choose a secret number from 1 to 6, based on the number of children in the groups. Start the music, then stop it at random times during the game. As players exit the circle, they will stand outside the circle in the order they left the game. The last player with the ball should stand at the end of the group line. Announce the secret number. The player who was that number to leave the game receives five points. The other players receive one point each. Have players record their scores by their names on the sheet.

Play more rounds as time permits. Vary the amount of time the music is played each time. Have children tally their points. The player in each group with the highest score wins.

Conclusion: What do you think the point of this game is? Every player received something from God. You were never sure when the answer was coming. It wasn’t necessarily the best thing to receive and answer quickly.

Yes, whether it was at the beginning or the end of the round, everyone received an answer. You didn’t know when that would be, so you needed to be patient and wait. Sometimes we receive an answer from God even before we are done praying. Other times we must be patient as we trust and wait. Regardless, God’s timing is always perfect! In this game we assigned points to make it more fun. Receiving the answer first didn’t mean you automatically received the most points each round. The number changed because God’s timing changes and there are times it is better for God’s answer to be delayed—like we saw in our story about Lazarus.