We Ll Be There for You

252 GroupsSeptember 2017, Week 4

Large Group, K-2

We’ll Be There for You

Bible Story:We’ll Be There for You (Encourage one another)•1 Thessalonians 5:11; Job 2:11-13 (Supporting: Job 1–2)

Bottom Line:Friends encourage one another.

Memory Verse:““A friend loves at all times,and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” Proverbs 17:17 NIV

Life App:Friendship—using your words and actions to show others you care.

Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

Story: Communicating God’s Truth in Engaging Ways(Large Group)

Engage kids’ hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible story, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting.

HOST: Go over the memory verse and life app withthe students.

Host exits as the Worship Leaders enter.

Worship

Storyteller enters as Worship Leaders exit.

Setting up the story

“This month we’ve been talking about a lot of the things that God has to say about friendship in His Word. Listen to what the apostle Paul had to say about friendship in his letter to the church at Thessalonica. (Open your Bible and read 1Thessalonians 5:11)So encourage one another with the hope you have. Build each other up. In fact, that’s what you are doing(NIrV). What Paul is saying here is this:

CG: Bottom Line Slide

[Bottom Line] “Friends encourageone another.”

JOB

STORYTELLER:“Encourage is a big word, and it could be that this is your first time hearing it. When you encourage someone, you cheer them on. You hang with them, make them feel like you care, and remind them they can keep going!

“You probably can think of some stories you’ve seen or read of friends who have been there for each other during hard times. And I’ve got a one to share with you today from the Bible about a man named Job.Job was an honest and righteous man. He had great respect for God and did his best to avoid doing what was wrong.

“Job had a large family: seven sons and three daughters. On top of that, he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, and 500 donkeys. Job had everything a person could ask for.”

TRAGEDY STRIKES

STORYTELLER:“One day, however, tragedy struck. A messenger ran up to Job’s house.

Host runs in and reads Message #1.

HOST as MESSENGER: “Sir! We’ve been attacked! While your oxen were out plowing the field, the Sabeans came and carried them off! Your donkeys, too! And they killed some of your servants with their swords!”

Host hands the card to Storyteller and runs out.

STORYTELLER: “While they were still talking, a second messenger ran up to Job.”

Host runs in and reads Message #2.

HOST as MESSENGER: “Job! Job! I have some terrible news! There was a lightning storm out where the sheep were grazing.They’re all dead, Job—all 7,000 sheep. Many of your servants were killed as well.”

Host hands the card to Storyteller and runs out.

STORYTELLER: “At that moment, a third messenger came running up. If you have the third message, please share it.”

Host runs in and reads Message #3.

HOST as MESSENGER:“We’ve been attacked by the Chaldeans! They’ve taken your camels, sir. And they killed the rest of your servants.”

Host hands the card to Storyteller and runs out.

STORYTELLER: “Wow. Could this day get any worse for poor Job? But before he could process any of this terrible news, a fourth messenger walked slowly up to Job witha heartbroken look on his face.”

Host enters looking sad and reads Message #4.

HOSTas MESSENGER: “Your sons and daughters were at a party at your oldest son’s house. Out of nowhere, a great wind came and blew the house down.Your seven sons and three daughters have all died.”

Host hands Storyteller card 4 and exits.

STORYTELLER: “Job grabbed the robe he was wearing and ripped it to shredswith all his might. He cried loudly over the loss of his family. In his sadness, he shaved his head completely bald.But even though all of these bad things happened to Job, he didn’t accuse God of doing anything. Instead, Job praised God, saying,‘I was born with nothing. I’ll leave with nothing. The Lord has given and He has taken away. May He be praised.’

“Some time later, Job’s misfortune continued to grow. Painful and itchy sores broke out all over Job’s body, from head to toe. Job’s wife was outraged. She couldn’t believe that Job was continuing to be faithful to God instead of cursing Him.

“List to Job’s response to his wife. (Open your Bible and read Job 2:10b.) We accept good things from God. So we should also accept trouble when he sends it(NIrV).”

JOB’s FRIENDS

STORYTELLER:“Now, Job had three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. They heard about all of Job’s troubles and decided they should go and see him. They wanted to go and show Job that they cared. The question was: What should they do? Let’s come up with some ideas of things they could do before we talk about what they chose.

Allow the kids to come up with ideas of things they could do to make Job feel better. Write their ideas on the back of the message cards. If they get stuck, offer them ideas like singing a song, telling a funny joke, giving him advice, etc. Then discuss the ideas together.As you do, tape the cards up for the kids to see.

“These are all great ideas in general for being a good friend, but thankfully Job’s friends thought about what it would feel like if someone they knew tried to tell them a joke or give them advice soon after tragedy struck. And they realized that they should just BE there for Job and listen.

“As they got closer to where Job lived, they saw him from a distance. He was shaved bald and bandaged from all the sores. They hardly recognized him. They realized he needed them now more than ever. So Job’s friends began to cry loudly. And they tore their clothes, just as Job had torn his. And they sprinkled dust on their heads. They showed Job how sad they were for him.

“Eventually, Job's friends didn't handle his situation very well and ended up giving him some bad advice. But at first, for a whole week, they got it right. For seven days they sat with Job, with no one saying a word. No funny songs, no silly jokes—just three guys choosing to be there for their hurting friend.”

wrapping up THE STORY

STORYTELLER:“Job’s friends seemed to know a really important part of friendship:

CG: Bottom Line Slide

[Bottom Line] “Friends encourage one another. In the case of Job, listening to his problems and being sad with him was the best way his friends could encourage him. But let’s go back and look at some of the other ways we came up with that we could encourage our friends.

Walk over to the cards and point to them.

“None of these ideas are bad ideas. In fact, these are all great ways to be a friend. But sometimes, a friend just needs someone to be there without saying anything—just to listen. Like, if your friend is happy, be happy with your friend. Or if your friend is miserable, be sad with your friend. There is a time and a place to tell jokes and sing silly songs, or even to share advice with a friend. Those can all be great ways to encourage someone. But before you can know if that would help your friend, first you have to be with them and listen.

“And there’s something else really important that you can do that will help you figure out HOW to encourage your friend. Any ideas? (Pause to let them respond.) That’s right! You can ask God for help. God knows what your friend is going through better than anyone else. You can pray and ask God to help you know how to best help your friend.

“Let’s go ahead and ask God right now to help us encourage one another.”

Pray

STORYTELLER:“Dear God, I think all of us in here WANT to be a good friend. And we know that friends encourage one another. But sometimes it can be hard to know how to encourage someone who needs our help. Please give us wisdom to choose what will truly encourage our friends, and help us to remember that many times that might just mean listening and not talking. Thank You for giving us friends who can encourage us too. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”

Dismiss children to their small groups.

Bible Story Outline

We’ll Be There for You (Encourage one another)•1 Thessalonians 5:11; Job 2:11-13 (Supporting: Job 1–2)

SETTING up the story

We’ve been talking about a lot of the things that God has to say about friendship
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:11
BL: Friends encourage one another

JOB

When you encourage someone, you cheer them on
You probably can think of some stories you’ve seen or read of friends who have been there for each other during hard times
I’ve got a one to share with you today from the Bible about a man named Job
Job was an honest and righteous man
Job had a large family and many animals

TRAGEDY STRIKES

One day, tragedy struck
Host reads Message #1
While they were still talking, another messenger approached
Host reads Message #2
A third messenger came up
Host reads Message #3
Before Job could process anything, a fourth messenger approached
Host reads Message #4
Job cried, tore his clothes, and shaved his head he was so upset
Despite everything that had happened, Job didn’t accuse God of wrongdoing
Painful and itchy sores broke out all over Job’s body, from head to toe
Job’s wife couldn’t believe that he was continuing to be faithful to God instead of cursing Him
Read Job 2:10b

Job’s friends

Job had three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar
They wanted to go and show their concern for Job
What should they do to encourage him?
Have kids suggest ideas and write them on the back of the message cards
Job’s friends realized that they should just BE there for Job and listen
They realized he needed them now more than ever
They showed Job how sad they were for him
Eventually, Job's friends didn't handle his situation very well, but this time, they got it right
For seven days they sat with Job, with no one saying a word

Wrapping up the story

BL: Friends encourage one another
In Job’s case, just listening to him was the most encouraging thing his friends could do
(Point to cards) These are all great ways to be a friend
Before you can know if that would help your friend, first you have to be with them and listen
You can pray and ask God to help you know how to best help your friend

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