Run for Jesus
Children’s Ministries Department
Inter-American Division
October 17, 2009
THEME: “Run for Jesus”
Written by Claudette Andrews, Children’s Ministries Director, Caribbean Union
and Gerene Joseph of the North Caribbean Conference
OBJECTIVES:
Children will:
KNOW that living for Jesus is fun and rewarding.
FEELa sense of joy and satisfaction in living the Christian way.
SHARE their experience with Jesus with a family member and a friend.
THEME SONG:
CHORUS
Run for JesusYou will win.
Run for Jesus,
He’ll keep you from sin.
Run for Jesus,
Run! Run! Run!
Running for Jesus is so much fun.
STANZA
When we obey;
When we love and share;
When we help others,
When we really care;
Jesus is exalted,
We are running His race
Running for Jesus, we have first place.
CHORUS
Motions for the song:
Four children to simulate running motion with hands moving at side and feet stationary in running position.
Placards with the following words to be held by eight children while group is singing song: JESUS, FUN, OBEY, LOVE, SHARE, HELP, CARE, FIRST PLACE.
SABBATH SCHOOL PROGRAM
.Parade of all children with flags of nations of IAD
(Children march in to the playing and singing of hymn #230 SDA Hymnal “All Glory Laud & Honor”)
Theme Song – “Run for Jesus”
Official Welcome - Children’s Ministries coordinator
Prayer Point Start up
(Use the prayer strategy, A.C.T.S). (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication – Use four children each one to pray one aspect of the prayer.)
Song Service Sprint (Use mission oriented songs)
Memory Verse Dash - Hebrews 12:1
(All to repeat several times, until memorized)
Musical Steeple Chase – Children’s Chorale, Children’s Group, or Bell Choir
Theme Marathon – “How to Run for Jesus”
(This is an approximate five minute presentation. Please use culturally relevant illustrations for each point.)
- Love Jesus
- Obey Jesus
- Read the Bible
- Share Jesus with others
- Serve others
Pledge ( To be repeated by children after Marathon)
Under 6 Foot Race –
Each child 6 years and under to receive a prepared footprint.
Foot print to say,” ______will run for Jesus”
Each under 6 child will be assisted in writing his/her name in the blank space.
Children will then place their footprint on a large newsprint sheet with a large picture of Jesus. The footprints are included in the package and would need to be copied so that each child can have one footprint to write his/her name in the blank space provided.
Large pencils or crayons need to be provided for each child to use when writing his/her name on the footprint.
7+ Relay
In groups of seven to ten the children 7 years and older will develop a dramatization of the memory verse, Hebrews 12:1 Groups will be given 2 minutes to demonstrate their dramatization.
Theme Song
Distribution of medals
10:05 Bible Lesson Cross Country (SabbathSchool classes)
DIVINE HOUR
Prelude
Processional with flags of IAD to the music and singing of #230 SDA Hymnal “All Glory Laud & Honor”
Invocation - Speaker
Hymn of Praise - # 12 “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”
Welcome
Scriptural Chorale Speaking
“The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,” Ecclesiastes 9:11 NKJV
”Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?
Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable.I Corinthians 9:24, 25 NKJV
“…and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1
Intercessory Prayer
Theme Song
Offertory (Prepare Junior age children to collect the tithes and offering)
Musical Selection-Children’s Choir
SERMON - “Special to Jesus”
Closing Hymn
Benediction
Sermon
“SPECIAL TO JESUS”
By Gloria Lindsey Trotman
Children’s Ministries Director, Inter American Division
Text: “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But the very hairs of your head are numbered. Fear not therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:6, 7
“Don’t think of God as being unkind. He loves even the little sparrows. These birds are worth only pennies, yet He cares about each one. He cares much more about you. He even knows how many hairs are on your head. So don’t be afraid. You’re worth more to God than many sparrows.”
Luke 12: 6, 7. (Clear Word for Children)
The year 2009 has been declared “The Year of the Child” by the United Nations. For this entire year we are focusing on our children. Our theme for the Year of the Child is “Children First.” In the Inter American Division today, we are celebrating our children who are special to Jesus.
Introduction
We all like to feel special and to be treated that way. Sometimes there are circumstances that make us think that we are not so special. However, there are real reasons for us to believe that we are special indeed. Did you know that you are really special? Kindly turn to your neighbor and say, “I am special.” Now affirm the person sitting next to you and say to him or her, “You are special.” Children are special to God. Here is what the Bible says, “Children are a gift form the Lord; they are a real blessing” (Ps. 127:3, Today’s English Version).
Reasons why children are special
So why is there all this talk about being special? Here are five reasons why children are special to God:
- You children are special because you are wonderfully made by God.
In Genesis, Chapter 1, we read of all the things that God made. We see that God created this whole world. But I like Genesis Chapter 2: 7. (Have all the males in the audience read this text aloud). Yes, God made men. Now let us look at Genesis 2: 21, 22. (Have all the females in the audience read this text aloud). God made women too. God took a boring, black, shapeless Planet Earth and give us a skyline, land, sea, trees, fruits, animals, the sun, moon and stars, birds, fish, and a man and a woman called Adam and Eve. Then the man and woman had children.
Boys and Girls, how do you feel when it is your birthday. Have your parents told you the story of when you were born? Ask them to tell you. Parents, it is a good idea to tell your children about when they were born. Perhaps you may want to make it a ritual whenever your children have their birthdays.
Illustration: One day a little boy who had a composition to write for homework asked his Grandma, “Grandma, where did you come from?”
“Oh,” said Grandma. “I came here because a stork brought me.”
The little boy went to his father and asked, “Daddy, where did you come from?”
“Oh,” replied Daddy. I got here because a big bird brought me here.”
“Then Daddy, how did I get here,” asked the little boy.
“Well,” answered Daddy, “an airplane brought you.”
The little boy began his composition, “There has not been a normal birth in this family for three generations.” Parents, teachers, let us not be reluctant to discuss the facts of life with our children. Children, do not be afraid to ask your parents. God made us, and that makes us special.
We are special because of the way God made us. In Psalm. 139:14 we read that we were “fearfully and wonderfully made.” That means God put a lot of care and thought into making us. Let us think of some of the “wonderful” ways in which God made us:
—Four sets of taste buds (bitter, sweet, sour, salty) help us enjoy our food.
—206 bones in our bodies (Of all different sizes). Just suppose we had only one large bone in our bodies and it got broken.
—We have a skeleton in our bodies that gives us shape so that we do not look like jelly fish. Imagine all of us walking around like bowls of jello.
—Think of how beautiful our smile is because of our teeth.
—I like the position of our eyes. They are not on our toes, so that when we stub our toes we do not damage our eyes.
—Compare our mouths to the mouths of anteaters. Our mouths would have been so much smaller. (The giant anteater is a mammal, roughly the size of a German shepherd dog; but thick, bushy hair makes it look even bigger. The anteater's gray hair feels like straw and grows especially long on the tail (up to 16 inches or 40 centimeters). Guess what is its favorite food. Can you imagine eating nothing but ants all day long? Giant anteaters have no teeth but a specialized tongue that allows them to eat up to 30,000 ants and termites each day! The anteater's narrow tongue is about 2 feet (60 centimeters) long).
—Now let us talk about the brain. This is like a giant computer because of all the operations it does. "The human brain is made up about 100,000,000,000 (100 billion) nerve cells called neurons. These are connected by 'wires' that carry electrical signals, like the wires in a computer do. The total length of these 'wires' in a human brain is about 100,000 miles! Can you believe that?
What a wonderful body we have. God made all of our body parts before we were born. Jeremiah 1:5.
II. Children are special because they look like Jesus.
(Boys read Gen.1:26; afterwards, girls read this same text and insert “girls” in place of “man”). Many of us look like our parents, grandparents, and brothers and sisters. We like to be told that we resemble famous or important people.
Think for a few seconds:Whom do I look like? Tell the person sitting next to you who you would like to resemble and why. In the book Education, we read, “Adam resembled God in outward resemblance and character.” (p. 20). Because we look like our heavenly Father, we have certain responsibilities.
- We must take care of our bodies. No drugs, enough sleep, not a lot of junk food and we must insist that people respect our bodies, and this includes our private parts. Do not be afraid to tell people, “God gave me this body. This is my body. You have to respect it.”
- In all that we do, we must remember that people know that we are related to Jesus.
So, why are we special to Jesus, Children?
(1) He made us wonderfully.
(2)We look like Jesus.
III. Children arespecial because they are young.
We all like fresh, new stuff (new sneakers, new clothes, a new bike . . . Ask a few children to name some new things they like.) You are young and you are like new people. Look at you now: bright eyes, alert minds, smooth skin. You have dreams and hopes for what you want to become when you grow up.
Jesus likes children. He did not allow the disciples to prevent the children from getting close to him. (Matt. 19:13). He also warned those who would treat children badly. (Ask adults to read aloud Matt. 18: 5, 6).
Because you are young and special to Jesus, this is the time to have a relationship with Jesus. Study your Bible. Attend church. Work hard in school. Develop your talents. Above all, give your life to Jesus. (Eccl. 12:1).
So you are special because: (Have children say the following)
I am wonderfully made by God
I look like Him.
I am young.
IV. Children are special because God has great plans for them.
I like that God has great plans for us. Let us all read together Jer.29:11. Another Bible translation says, “I have plans for you; I will help you and give you a future and a hope.” Clear Word for Children.
This is amazing! Sometimes there are bad people who have plans to hurt us and get us into trouble. Whenever we find persons who tell us to do wrong things, they are not our friends. Satan is our enemy and wants us to have miserable, unhappy lives. He wants to destroy us and he uses persons who even say that they are our friends to ruin us. Let us read what the Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8 about the plans of the devil for us. “. . . Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour.” Let us study a few words here that tell us about the devil’s plans:
adversary – an enemy; one who hates you
roaring lion – a dangerous animal that wants to attack you
devour -- to eat viciously; consume
The devil therefore has no good plans for you, Boys and Girls.
The plans Jesus has for you are just the opposite. Jesus has great plans for you and will not hurt you. (Ask the girls and boys to say with energy, “Thank you, Jesus for Your great plans for me. Thank you for your love.”)
Illustration: Ben was a little boy who had a terrible temper. He got into many fights at school. The children were almost afraid of him because he was often very violent. Also, Ben was not doing well in school. He was often in trouble. One day Ben became angry with another boy. He grabbed a knife and pushed it hard into the guy’s belly. Fortunately, the knife hit the buckle of the boy’s belt, broke and so it did not go into his belly. The boy was saved. When Ben saw that he almost killed the boy, he was so scared that he ran into the bathroom and cried and prayed that God would help him. God heard his prayer. Ben’s angry behavior stopped. He started studying very hard and was the smartest boy in his class. Now Dr. Benjamin Carson (Ben) is a brilliant and famous Seventh-day Adventist neurosurgeon at JohnsHopkinsHospital. People all over the world respect him because he is very successful; and he still loves Jesus.
You see Boy and Girls, the devil had a plan to “devour” and hurt Ben, but God had “great plans for him—plans to prosper and not harm him. God’s great plans for you make you special. Let us remember that we are special.
A word to parents. Parents and other adults, please remind your children that they are special. Tell them that every day. Kay Kuzma, a Christian child psychologist talks about our children’s love cups. She says that each child has a love cup that must be filled daily, because the love leaks out and has to be replaced. We fill the love cup by telling them things that make them feel special. Affirm them; show them that you love and care about their feelings.
A word to the children. Children, please keep reminding yourselves that you are special. Satan wants to steal our feelings of being special and happy and successful. You are so special that you will not allow anyone to make you feel that you are not special. You are also unique. You are the only one of a kind. There is no one else like you. Just like our fingerprints are all different from other people’s fingerprints, so God took the time to make you different from everyone else. (Say to yourself, “I am unique. There is no one else like me.”)
Let us now repeat the four reasons you are special. (Show the posters)
1. I am wonderfully made by God.
2. I look like Jesus.
3. I am young.
4. God has great plans for me
V. Children are special because Jesus died for them. This is the most important reason. Let us read together John 3:16. Rom. 5: 8 also tells us that Jesus died for us, sinners.
Illustration.There is an exciting book, A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens. In this story, two young men loved a beautiful girl named Lucy. Lucy chose the man she really loved to be her husband. They were very happy together, until one day, something terrible happened. Soldiers arrested the young husband. They put him in jail and now he had to die. However, the young man whom Lucy did not marry went quietly one night into the jail, helped the young husband to go free and died in the place of his friend.
Our Friend, Jesus was also willing to die for us.