LESSON 11: JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

Dig In to the Bible

  • Read: John 15:13; 17; 19

  • In This Passage: Jesus says the greatest act of love is to die for your friends. Then, after praying about what he’s about to experience, Jesus endures torture and is hung on a cross, where he dies. By dying on the cross for us, Jesus shows the ultimate act of God’s love.

  • Bible Point: God is loving.

  • Summary Verse: “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him” (1 John 4:9).

 

Dig Deeper

  • You’ll Be Teaching: God is loving. If you’re not teaching this lesson around Easter, great! Kids may be familiar with hearing this Bible story taught only as an Easter message. But Jesus’ death and resurrection are the core of Christianity and the greatest example of God’s love. By teaching it at an unusual time of year, you’re showing how important it is!

  • Think About: Spend some time thanking Jesus for ways he’s shown his love to you.

 

Dig In to Prayer

  • Pray for God’s love to shine through you to your kids.

 

Quick Tip

  • It’s easy to assume that all kids know Jesus died for them and came back to life…but don’t make assumptions! You may have visitors who haven’t grown up in church or a Christian family, and this important truth may be brand-new information. Avoid saying things like, “I’m sure you’ve heard…” or “Today’s story is a familiar one…” It can embarrass kids who don’t know it.

LESSON 11: Opening Music Videos!

Lesson 11: Step # 2
Core Bible Discovery

Supplies: Bibles, paper, markers or crayons, scissors, tape (optional)

Lesson 10: Step #3 Talk about it with your family!

Bonus FUN!

CRAFT

Cross Keychain

Supplies

  • Older Kids

    • “Cross Keychain Instructions” handout (download here)

    • 2½-inch nails (2 per child)

    • 2-inch nails (2 per child)

    • ½-inch screws (2 per child)

    • jewelry wire

    • scissors

  • Younger Kids

    • “Cross” handout printed on card stock (1 per child) (download here)

    • craft foam (1 piece per child)

    • ballpoint pens (1 per child)

    • markers

    • flashlights (1 per adult or teen helper)

    1. Easy Prep

    • Make a sample of each craft to show kids. Refer to the “Cross Keychain Instructions” handout for step-by-step photos of the older kids’ craft.

       

      Tips

    • Instead of keychains, the Cross Keychain craft could also be used as a necklace charm or a zipper-pull for a backpack.

    • The heart on the Cross Keychain craft is somewhat abstract. That’s great! Encourage kids that their heart may invite questions about their keychain, and that’s a great chance to share about Jesus’ love.

      Older Kids: Make Cross Keychains

                  Show kids the sample craft you made. Give each child two of each kind of nail and two screws. Set out the remaining supplies to share, and have kids follow the directions on the handout to make cross keychains.

    • Line up the two longer nails so the heads face opposite directions.

    • Wrap the nails in jewelry wire to hold them in place.

    • Do the same thing with the two short nails.

    • Make a cross shape by placing the short nails over the long nails. Wrap with jewelry wire diagonally both ways to hold the cross in place.

    • Make a heart shape by lining up the two screws so the heads create the curves of the heart. Use jewelry wire to secure that shape, and then wrap the shape with wire around the center of the cross.

    • Make one more short loop of jewelry wire around the top of the cross so you can attach your cross to a keychain, zipper, or necklace.

      Younger Kids: Make Light-Up Crosses

    • Give each child a “Cross” handout, a piece of craft foam, and a pen.

    • Have kids lay the crosses over the craft foam, making sure the dots are over the foam.

    • Help kids use the pens to punch holes through all the white dots. Encourage kids to punch holes only in the dots.

    • Give kids markers, and let them color all around the cross.

    • Dim the lights, and use flashlights to shine light on kids’ papers so they can see the light shining through.

 

 
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Talk About It

             • Of all the things Jesus suffered, which one do you think felt the worst? Why that one?

            • What does it mean to you that Jesus was willing to go through all that?

             God is loving. He’s done a lot of loving things for us, but his greatest act of love was sending Jesus to die on the cross for us. The nails on our keychain remind us of the pain Jesus suffered when he was nailed to the cross. The hearts on our crosses remind us that Jesus did all of that to show how God is loving.

 

HIGH-ENERGY GAME[10 min]

Piranha River

Supplies

  • painter’s tape

  • paper or chairs

  • upbeat music (optional)

  • music player (optional)

Easy Prep

  • Place 2 parallel lines on the floor with painter’s tape, making the lines 12 feet apart to represent banks of a river. For at least 1 bank of the river, allow enough room so that kids trying to jump across the river can get a running start.

Tip

  • If you used the Music Video block, consider repeating the songs from today’s lesson during the game. You can find the downloadable album here.

 

Kids Cross an Imaginary River

            Say: Today a quick game of Piranha River will help us explore how God is loving!

  • Show kids the river you set up.

  • Explain that kids must cross the river, but it’s full of bad-tempered, flesh-eating, super-hungry piranhas. If any part of a kid hits the water, he or she will become a piranha snack. Kids can only use their ability to jump to find a way across the river.

  • If you’ve chosen to play music, start it now.

  • Line kids up at the edge of the river and invite them to try jumping across a few times. Then let them try getting a running start and leaping across a few more times.

  • When neither of those work, use chairs or pieces of paper to build a bridge, and have kids cross that way. If a child has mobility limitations, use paper on the floor to allow for easier access than crawling across chairs.

  • Pull up the riverbank lines, and have kids sit in a circle.

 

Talk About It

            Say: You got across the river, but you needed help getting there.  

            Ask: • What’s something you’ve needed help to do? Tell a partner near you about a time you found you needed help because you couldn’t do something on your own. Share your own story first.

             • If you could get help doing something that’s too hard for you to do right now in life, what would you like help doing?

            Say:  Here’s the good news: Because God is loving, God offers you all kinds of help—including help getting to heaven!

            God showed us his love when Jesus died on the cross so we could be forgiven for our sins. Sin was like this river—too wide for us to cross on our own. But Jesus built a bridge for us to become friends of God and live with him forever!