Leader Guide
Game
- Eight round balloons, plus extras
- Four boxes or containers large enough to hold two balloons
- Permanent marker
- Optional: four sheets of paper and tape
Write the SuperVerse on the board. Matthew 5:44
"But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!"
Blow up the balloons and tie closed.
Use the permanent marker to write LOVE on two balloons, PRAYER on two balloons and PERSECUTION on four balloons.
In large letters, write ME on two boxes and OTHERS on two boxes. If you prefer, write the words on sheets of paper and tape to the boxes.
Place one LOVE and one PRAYER balloon in each ME box.
Place two PERSECUTION balloons in each OTHERS box.
In Large Group, you were asked to listen for something Chris said that would
stop if he became afraid or felt sorry for himself. Raise your hand if you know
the answer. His
witness (as a Christian for Jesus).
Chris changed his plan for revenge and wisely decided to respond in love like Jesus and Stephen did.
Let’s say today’s SuperTruth together: “I will respond in love like Jesus.”
We are going to play a game to respond with love and prayer to
any form of persecution that we may face as followers of Christ.
Hold up balloons and point to the boxes as you talk. In
this game, you will pass PERSECUTION balloons from the boxes marked OTHERS and respond
by passing LOVE and PRAYER balloons from the boxes labeled ME. You will do this
by batting the balloons in the air to each other.
As the balloons reach the opposite ends, they are dropped
into the boxes to represent what was received. ME receives persecution, OTHERS
receive LOVE and PRAYER.
Now, let’s make it even more challenging. A balloon will be
passed at the same time from both ends of a team’s line. Somewhere in the
middle, the balloons will need to cross over each other—that should be more interesting
and fun!
Divide the children into two equal teams. If teams are uneven, a leader may play.
Team members stand side-by-side about an arm’s length apart, with the two teams facing each other several feet apart.
At one end of each team, place a ME box containing a LOVE balloon and PRAYER balloon.
At the other end of a team’s line, place a box labeled OTHER
containing two persecution balloons.
Divide the children into two equal teams. If teams are uneven, a leader may play.
Team members stand side-by-side about an arm’s length apart, with the two teams facing each other several feet apart.
At one end of each team, place a ME box containing a LOVE balloon and PRAYER balloon.
At the other end of a team’s line, place a box labeled OTHER
containing two persecution balloons.
Say, “Go!”
The first player at both ends of each team’s line grabs
a balloon and bats it to the next player, and so on, down the line. Players
cannot catch or hold the balloons; they must bat or volley them in the air to
the player directly next to them; no one can be skipped!
Players pass each balloon until it reaches the end of the
line, where the last player drops it into the box. As soon as the balloon is
dropped into a box, the second balloon is started down the line.
If a balloon falls to the floor, the player who was to receive it must pick it up and pass it on from there.
The first team to finish passing all four balloons wins!
Play additional rounds as time permits.
Conclusion: Good job in treating your enemy as the
Bible tells us to! It isn’t easy to show God’s love to our enemies who
persecute us. During difficult times, we need the Holy Spirit’s help to show
others God’s love!
In this game, it was important that no one was
allowed to be skipped. Can you guess why? Children respond.
The Bible says ALL of us will experience persecution, and
that ALL of us should respond in love and pray for our enemies! (See
2 Timothy 5:12.)
Let’s learn more about showing love in times of
persecution in today’s Teaching!