Deny Your Selfie
Theme: Say no to yourself and yes to Jesus.
Scripture: Mark 8:31-38
Get Ready: Click here to get your complete supply list for this lesson.
The Children’s Sermon
You’ll Need:
â— A bag of marbles
â— Yarn
Do This:
SAY: Have you ever heard of the game, Marbles? Let me show you how to play.
Demonstrate as you explain. First, you draw a big ring in the dirt. Draw a circle on
the ground with your foot. Then explain you’ll use a piece of yarn to show kids, and
place the yarn in a circular shape. Then each player puts a few of his or her own
marbles into the ring. Choose a child to help you demonstrate. Put three marbles of
one color and have the child put three of another color into the ring wherever he or
she likes. The players then take turns shooting a marble, trying to knock the other
marbles out of the ring. Flick or roll a marble toward the child’s marbles to try to
knock it out. When a shooter knocks a marble out of the ring, he picks it up and
puts it in his pocket. If his shooting marble stays inside the ring, he is allowed to
keep shooting. If not, the next shooter takes his turn. Briefly demonstrate the
basics. When all the marbles have been knocked out of the ring, they are counted
and the one with the most marbles is the winner. Pick up all the marbles.
Before a game of marbles begins, one player will sometimes ask the other
players, "Are we playing for fun, or are we playing for keeps?" If you just play for
fun, when the game is over, the winner gives the marbles back. But if you play for
keeps, the winner gets to keep all of the marbles he has won.
Some people live their lives like a game of marbles, always trying to have the
most “marbles.” They think that the one with the biggest house, the fanciest car,
and the most money in the bank is the winner. They think they are playing "for
keeps," but, how much do they take with them when their lives are over? Nothing!
Jesus said that if we want to be real winners we must be willing to give up
everything and follow Him. We may not live in a big house or drive a fancy car, but
when we follow Jesus we have something much better--treasures in heaven. In
heaven we’ll walk on streets of gold and we’ll live forever with Jesus.
PRAY: Dear God, help us realize that the only life that lasts is a life lived for You. In
Jesus' name, amen.
“Deny Your Selfie” Video
You’ll Need:
â— “Deny Your Selfie” video lesson
â— Something to play the video
Do This:
Show them the video.
ASK:
â— What stood out to you about missionaries?
â— How can you put Jesus first in your life?
Pretzel Cross Snacks
You’ll Need:
â— Large pretzel rods - two per child
â— Melted chocolate
â— Sprinkles
â— Mini chocolate chips
â— Mini M&M candies
â— Paper plates - one per child
Do This:
Follow these steps to make the Pretzel Cross Snacks:
â— Give each child a paper plate and two large pretzel rods.
â— Have kids carefully break one of their pretzel rods in half. Have them eat a
small bite off each end to even them out and to make the horizontal part of the
cross shorter than the vertical part.
â— Invite kids to dip their pretzels in chocolate and then place them together to
form a cross on their plate. (They will place the intact pretzel horizontally, and
stick the broken pieces on the side with plenty of chocolate so when it
hardens, they stay in place.)
â— Let kids use the toppings to decorate their crosses as they like.
â— As the crosses harden and cool, discuss today’s lesson.
â— Enjoy.
SAY: Great job making a cross snack. In today’s lesson, we learn that Jesus tells
us to take up our cross and follow Him. Jesus came to earth and gave His life as a
payment for our sin. Jesus asks us to also give up everything to follow Him.
Complete Supply List:
â— A bag of marbles
â— Yarn
â— “Deny Your Selfie” video lesson
â— Something to play the video
â— Large pretzel rods - two per child
â— Melted chocolate
â— Sprinkles
â— Mini chocolate chips
â— Mini M&M candies
â— Paper plates - one per child
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