LESSON 12:  PETER DENIES JESUS, AND JESUS FORGIVES HIM

Dig In to the Bible

  • Read: Luke 22:54-62; John 21:15-17

  • In This Passage: As Jesus is on trial and beaten, Peter sits at a nearby campfire. Others recognize Peter as one of Jesus’ followers, but he denies it three times. Peter and Jesus make eye contact, and Peter feels horrible. Later, when Jesus has died and come back to life, he gives Peter three chances to say he loves him, a sign of forgiveness and a second chance.

  • Bible Point: God is forgiving.

  • 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 forgiving. Like all of us, kids know the feeling of gut-wrenching shame when caught in the act like Peter was. Help them embrace the grace and forgiveness that God offers in those moments of shame and regret.

  • Think About: Talk to God about what you need forgiveness for. Then open your hands and receive his grace, letting go of your shame.

 

Dig In to Prayer

  • Pray for God to help you model his grace and forgiveness well.

 

Quick Tip

  • Have you ever asked your kids for forgiveness? Chances are you’ve snapped out of impatience, said something insensitive, or taught something you later realized was inaccurate. That’s okay! Your imperfections are a great opportunity to demonstrate a humble apology and for your kids to practice extending forgiveness.

LESSON 12: Opening Music Videos!

Lesson 12: Step # 2
Core Bible Discovery

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

Lesson 12: Step #3 Talk about it with your family!

Bonus FUN!

CRAFT

Forgiveness Folder

Supplies

  • Older Kids:

  • 2 different colors of paper (two 6x6-inch pieces of each color per child)

  • scissors

  • washable markers*

  • glue sticks

  • “Forgiveness Folder Instructions” handout (download here)

  • Younger Kids:

    • paper

    • heart stickers

    • smiley face stickers

    • washable markers*

    • binder rings (1 per child)

    • hole punch

Easy Prep

  • Make a sample of each craft to show kids.

  • For each younger child, cut a piece of paper into quarters. Hole punch the corner of each piece.

Older Kids: Make Forgiveness Folders

            Show kids the sample craft you made. Start with the sad, brokenhearted side, and mention that we all do wrong things. Then fold it to the happy side, and remind kids that God is forgiving.

            Give each child two pieces of each color of paper. Set out the remaining supplies to share, and have kids follow the directions on the “Forgiveness Folder Instructions” handout to make Forgiveness Folders.

  • To cut one flap:

    • Fold a 6x6-inch piece of paper in half one way, then unfold it.

    • Fold it in half the other way, then unfold it.

    • Fold the paper toward the center from both sides.

  • Unfold the paper, and cut along the two lines shown below.

  • Fold the edges into the center on the top of the paper.

  • Fold the bottom back so it sticks out behind the top.

  • Repeat with your other three pieces of paper so you have four flaps.

  • Lay two flaps of the same color next to each other, with the folds to the edge, as shown.

  • Rub glue on the flaps you laid out. Then stick the other two flaps on the laid out pieces perpendicularly, with the folds to the edge, as shown.

  • Draw sad faces and a broken heart on the side that’s facing up.

  • Fold the paper to show a new side, and draw happy faces and a whole heart on the new side that’s facing up.

  • Fold the paper to show a new side, and draw more sad faces and a broken heart.

  • Fold the paper one more time, and draw happy faces with a whole heart.

  • You can keep folding your paper back and alternating between a sad, broken heart and a happy, healed heart.

 Younger Kids: Make Forgiveness Folders

            Help younger kids follow these directions to make a simplified version of the craft.

  • Give each child two quarter-sheets of paper. They can decorate both sheets with heart stickers and smiley face stickers.

  • Set those pages aside, and give each child two more pieces of paper. They can decorate both the same way: by tearing heart stickers in half and placing the broken heart stickers on the paper. They can also draw sad faces on the paper.

  • Help kids arrange their pages in alternating order: happy, sad, happy, sad.

  • Loop a chenille wire through the holes and twist it together to make a circle.

  • Show kids how they can flip through the pages endlessly, alternating from happy to sad by moving the front page to the back each time.

 

 
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Talk About It

            • How does this craft remind you of God’s forgiveness?

            • Why is it important that God’s forgiveness doesn’t have a limit?

            God is forgiving, and like our Forgiveness Folders, there’s no limit to his forgiveness! Peter denied knowing Jesus three times in today’s Bible story, and there were other times he needed God’s forgiveness! God keeps on forgiving us because God is forgiving.

         

 

HIGH-ENERGY GAME[10 min]

Knock It Off

Supplies

  • disposable cups (1 per child)

  • disposable bowls (1 per preschooler)

  • upbeat music (optional)

  • music player (optional)

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 Balance Cups on Their Heads

            Say: Let’s explore how God is forgiving by playing a game of Knock It Off.

  • Have kids gather at one end of the room, and give each kid a disposable cup. Ask kids to place the cups upside down on their heads. (To make the game a little more fair, preschoolers can use bowls instead.)

  • The goal of the game is for kids to walk to the far end of the room, touch the wall, and return without their drinking cups falling off. Should a cup fall, it can be retrieved and put back on, and the walker can continue after pausing in place for two seconds.

  • It’s legal to “help” a cup tumble off the head of another walker so long as you don’t actually touch the person or the person’s cup. Blowing the cup off or startling the walker so the person flinches is fine. But no touching.

  • If kids aren’t sabotaging each other, you and any other adults can do so.

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

  • Play several rounds to ensure that no player has perfectly completed the game without being sabotaged.

  • When the game is over, have kids sit.

 

Talk About It

            Say: Nice job! Other than unicorns, nobody could have done better than you!

            But it might have been a little more doable if people didn’t intentionally mess you up!

            Ask: • How did you feel when someone purposely messed up your efforts in this game?

            • On a scale of 1 to 10, how hard is it to forgive the person or people who sabotaged you? Explain your rating.

            • What’s something that would be a 10 on that scale—super hard to forgive?

            • Do you think God has any 10s? What’s hard for God to forgive?

            Say: Maybe someone messing up a silly game didn’t bother you too much. But when people hurt us on purpose, it can be hard to forgive. And sometimes people don’t forgive. They hold on to a grudge because it’s too hard to forgive. Not for God! God is forgiving, and nothing is too hard for him to forgive. He forgave Peter when Peter denied knowing Jesus three times! God will always forgive you.