Lesson 7: Jesus Claims to Be God's Son

Welcome

            Thank kids for coming.

            Just for fun, have preschoolers give an elbow-five to three friends.  

            Make announcements.

            Introduce new kids.

            Celebrate birthdays by having preschoolers say “happy birthday” three times while hopping up and down.

            Collect the offering.

Introduce the Lesson

            Say: Today we’ll learn that Jesus is God’s Son. That makes God Jesus’s daddy! And like you and your mommy and daddy, Jesus and God are like each other. Let’s think about that.

Share

            Say: Sometimes we’re like our mommy or daddy. And sometimes, we want to be like them.

            Tell about one preschool-friendly way you want to be like your mom or dad.

            In leader-led small groups, help preschoolers tell ways they want to be like their mom or dad when they grow up.

            After preschoolers have discussed, have adult or teen helpers share with the whole group what their groups talked about.

Summarize

            Open a Bible, and say: Jesus is a lot like his daddy—God! Today we’ll hear about some people who wanted to know about Jesus. And Jesus told them he’s God’s Son. We’ll dig into the Bible to find out what happened. The Bible is amazing! It’s full of awesome stories—and they’re all true! God gave us the Bible so we can know him. Let’s learn more about him as we learn from the Bible.

            Pray, thanking Jesus that he is God’s Son.

Tip 

Sing Songs to God

          Sing the three songs in any order.

Tip

• Permanent markers are used in today’s craft for kids to color their cups, as crayons won’t show up and washable markers will easily smudge on waxy paper cups. If you’re concerned about preschoolers coloring with permanent markers, you can easily leave out this part of the craft.

Make the Megaphone Hat

            Say: Today we’re learning that Jesus is God’s Son. When Jesus lived here on earth, he was a person like you and me—he ate dinner, slept, and talked and laughed with his friends. Even though Jesus was like us, Jesus is also so much more! And that’s because Jesus is God’s one and only Son! Wow! That means Jesus is two things at the same time—he is a person, and he’s God’s special Son.

            Our craft today is two things at the same time, too! Hold up the sample craft. It’s a megaphone that helps to make our voices loud (shout through your sample craft). And it’s also a fun hat we can wear (put the sample craft on top of your head). Our craft can help us remember that Jesus is two things—a man and God’s special Son! Let’s get started!

            Have kids put on smocks. Give kids each a paper cup, and allow them to decorate the cup with the permanent markers (if used) and craft supplies. While kids work, remind them that Jesus was a man but also God’s special Son. And tell preschoolers that in a way, we are more than one thing, too. A preschooler may be a girl, but also a daughter, a sister, a friend, a cousin, a soccer player, a really good artist, and so on. Tell kids some of the ways you are two things, and then have them share ways they are two things in one, too.

            When they’ve finished decorating their cups, give kids each two sections of ribbon and help them tape one end of each length of ribbon to each side of the cup, near the wide rim. (The wide rim of the cup is the base of the hat, and the end that was cut out is the megaphone side.) Once preschoolers have taped on their ribbons, you can staple each ribbon to the cup for a little extra support.

            When children have finished making their crafts, have them each try the craft out by putting on their hats and then shouting through their megaphones, “Jesus is God’s Son!”

Play a Naming Game

            Gather the children in a circle, and set the objects (ball, teddy bear, cup, sunglasses, and marker) in front of you. Say: Today we’re learning that Jesus is God’s Son. In the Bible, Jesus told a bunch of people that he’s God’s Son. Before we hear our Bible story, let’s start out with a game to help us think about what we’ll be learning.

            Hold up the ball. Say: Look at this teddy bear. Give the ball a hug, and allow children to respond. It’s not very snuggly. Wait—is this a teddy bear? Show a thumbs up if this is a teddy bear. Show a thumbs down if it’s not a teddy bear. Pause and encourage children to show a thumbs down.

            Ask: • How do you know it’s not a teddy bear? Help children think of things about a teddy bear that help them know what it is. For example, teddy bears are soft and good to cuddle. They’re in the shape of a bear, but they’re not a real animal. They’re cute and often chubby.

            Finally, have the children give the real name of the object—a ball.

            Say: Let’s keep playing. Continue the process with each of the other objects: Call the object the wrong name, have the children give thumbs up or thumbs down, have the children tell why they know that the name you gave the object was wrong, and then tell the real name of the object. When you’re “naming” the objects incorrectly, act out some of the things you would do with the incorrectly named objects, like you did with the teddy bear. For example, you could call the cup a ball and try to bounce it. Or you could call the ball a marker and try to draw with it. Or you could try to use the teddy bear to shade your eyes from a sunny day like you would with sunglasses or ask the children if you should pour water into the sunglasses like you would with a cup.

            Say: You all are so smart! You really know how to tell what something is! Do you know what? That reminds me of our Bible story. Jesus tells us how we know that he’s God’s Son. He says that when we learn about him and all that he can do, we can see that he’s God’s Son. In our game, we knew the ball wasn’t a teddy bear because it didn’t look like a teddy bear and we couldn’t treat it like a teddy bear. It wasn’t soft or cuddly or even in the shape of a bear. But we could tell what the teddy bear was because of how it looked and the way it did all the things a teddy bear does! Today we’ll learn that we can tell that Jesus is God’s Son by what he says and does.

Listen for the Shepherd

            Say: Let’s dig in to our Bible story now! Open the Bible to John 10. The Bible says Jesus was at a festival called Hanukkah. That’s like a party to thank God for great things he did for his people. Lead the children to briefly pretend they’re at a fun party. Have them stand, cheer, clap, and jump.

            Say: Jesus was having a party with God and God’s people, too. His party was at a place like our church. During the party he was just walking along (have children make walking sounds by patting their legs) when a bunch of people came around him (have children crowd in closer to you).

            Say: The people wanted to know if God sent Jesus. They wanted to know if Jesus was the Messiah. That means they wanted to know if Jesus was the special one who God sent to rescue them. And Jesus said, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me.” Jesus told them they could tell that he’s God’s Son by all the great things he’s done.

            Then Jesus started talking about sheep! Have the children make sheep noises, like “bah.” Then explain to children that they’ll make a “bah” noise each time you say “sheep.” Help them practice, and then say: That seems kind of silly, doesn’t it? The people wanted to know if Jesus was God’s Son, and Jesus just started talking about sheep [bah]! But Jesus had a good reason to talk about sheep [bah] right then. He told a story about sheep [bah] to help the people understand something very important.

            Let’s make a sheep’s [bah] pen as we learn what Jesus said about the sheep [bah]. A sheep’s [bah] pen is a home for sheep [bah]. Lead the children in making the walls of a sheep’s pen by having them stand together shoulder to shoulder in a circle. Have the children practice making “bah” noises to make it sound like a sheep’s pen full of sheep.

            Say: Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Jesus was telling a story about sheep to help the people know that they can know he’s God’s Son if they listen to him and follow him. Let’s play a game using our sheep’s pen to help us think about that.

            Choose one child to be a sheep. Have him or her stand inside the sheep’s pen. The rest of the children will continue to make the walls of the sheep’s pen, but you’ll want to leave a gap where the “sheep” left the “wall.”

            Point to the gap. Say: Pretend that’s the gate. Our little sheep inside our sheep’s pen will try to find the gate with his [or her] eyes closed. Like when Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice,” you’ll listen for my voice to find the gate. Have an adult or teen helper demonstrate by closing his or her eyes and following the direction of your voice as you say, “Come here, my child.” Repeat the phrase until he or she reaches the gate.

            Begin the game with the first child you chose to be the sheep. Then let other children play as time allows. As an added element, you can have the rest of the children softly say “bah” while you call the child to the gate. This will work best with older preschoolers or after the children have all played a round, because the “sheep” will have to listen to your voice above the “bah” noises.

            Say: You all did a great job listening for my voice. Jesus says that we can know he’s God’s Son when we listen for his voice. When we hear Jesus’ words in the Bible, that’s one way to listen to him. The people at the party wanted to know if Jesus was God’s Son. Jesus told them that people who listen to him the way sheep listen to the shepherd know he’s God’s Son. We can listen to Jesus the way sheep listen to the shepherd by obeying what Jesus says in the Bible.

            But those people didn’t want to listen to Jesus. Show the five objects you played with at the beginning of the activity. Hold up the ball. Say: When those people looked at Jesus they couldn’t see that he was God’s Son. It was like when I called this ball a teddy bear. Give other examples of wrong names you called each of the items. You all knew which one was the ball. And you knew which one was the teddy bear. You knew. But I was calling them the wrong thing. Like that, these people looked at Jesus and they weren’t calling him God’s Son. So Jesus told them to look at what he had done so they could see that he is God’s Son.

            But the people were too mad to really listen to Jesus and follow him. Hold up the ball. That would be like if I was mad when you told me that this ball wasn’t a teddy bear and if I decided to call it a teddy bear even though it’s really a ball. The people didn’t want to say that Jesus is God’s Son. They were so mad that they wanted to hurt Jesus. But don’t worry. Jesus got away from those people. And the people who did listen to Jesus and follow him were sure that Jesus is God’s Son.

Do an Action Play

            Say: We want to listen to Jesus because he is God’s Son. We can believe like the people who followed Jesus did. Remember, Jesus said we can know that Jesus is God’s Son by the amazing things he’s done.

            Let’s act out some of the things Jesus did that show us Jesus is God’s Son.

            Help the children get into small groups, and then have adult or teen helpers lead them through acting out these things that Jesus did:

            • Healing sick people (take turns pretending to put bandages on friends)

            • Bringing people back to life (take turns lying down and closing eyes and then sitting up quickly)

            • Feeding people (take turns pretending to feed each other)

            • Helping his friends catch a lot of fish (pretending to carry a big heavy net full of fish)

            • Helping blind people see (covering eyes and then uncovering them)

            Say: Jesus did so many amazing things. In the Bible story, Jesus told us to look at the things he’s done to see that he’s God’s Son. And he really showed us that he’s God’s Son. Jesus talked about the sheep listening to the shepherd, and we can keep listening to Jesus to remember that he is God’s Son.

Tip 

Discuss and Watch “Who’s Lyin’?”

            Say: We’re learning that Jesus is God’s Son. When Jesus said that, it was a pretty extreme thing to say! But Jesus said he had evidence: the works and miracles that he did.

            Ask: • What evidence can you think of that Jesus is God’s Son?

            Say: We’re going to watch a video where someone thinks he has good evidence of who he is. You be the judge!

            Watch “Who’s Lyin’?”

            Ask: • How convincing was Peanut’s evidence that he was a lion?

            • What would convince you that Peanut is, in fact, a lion?

            Say: Biscuit had a lot of proof that Peanut wasn’t who he said he was. Peanut tried to produce evidence he was a lion, but it just wasn’t enough! He was simply a dog in a lion costume.

            Jesus is different, though. He wasn’t in some kind of costume, pretending to be something he wasn’t. Jesus is God’s Son, and he gave a lot of evidence of who he was!

Tip

• Before printing, turn on page numbering in Word to keep the pages in order (or simply hand-number each page after printing). You may also find it helpful to highlight your part and set the script on a music stand nearby during the skit.

Leader: It’s time for our puppy friend, Theo, to come for a visit. Let’s call him to our class with a “woof, woof.” Ready? (Leads kids to bark until Theo is brought into view.)

Theo: Hi, friends! (Pants.) My back is so itchy today. Would you scratch my back? (Circulates among kids so each child can pet him.)

Leader: Thanks for giving Theo a great big welcome, friends!

Theo: I really enjoyed your welcome!

Leader: How are you Theo?

Theo: I’m pretty happy today.

Leader: Why is that?

Theo: Because I get to see all of you! (Gives each child a high-five.)

Leader: Thanks, Theo!

Theo: Please tell me you learned a new song today. I love when you teach me new songs!

Leader: I can teach you a fun song, if you want.

Theo: Yes! (Encourages all the kids to form a circle with their arms around one another’s shoulders. Theo has his arms around two kids’ shoulders, too, and leads kids in swaying to the song.)

Leader: (Leads kids and Theo in singing the following song to the tune of “The Muffin Man.”)

            Oh, do you know who Jesus is,

            Who Jesus is, who Jesus is?

            Oh, do you know who Jesus is?

            He is the Son of God.

            Oh, yes I know who Jesus is,

            Who Jesus is, who Jesus is.

            Oh, yes I know who Jesus is,

            He is the Son of God.

            Oh, God and Jesus, they are one,

            They are one, they are one.

            Oh, God and Jesus, they are one,

            The Father and the Son.

            (Repeat song a few times as time allows.)

Theo: That was the best song! I’m going to go teach it to my brother!

Leader: Great idea, Theo. Friends, let’s give Theo a big “woof, woof, goodbye”! (Leads kids to say “woof, woof, goodbye,” and then places Theo out of sight.)

Tips

• The cornstarch mixture can be made up to one day in advance and stored in a zip-seal baggie (no refrigeration needed), but it will need to be remixed right before the lesson as it will have separated some.
• If you have more than 6 to 8 children in your class, you may want to make multiple batches of the cornstarch mixture so that every child can have a turn to experience and play with the cornstarch. Kids love playing with it!  
• After the lesson, dispose of the cornstarch mixture by putting it in the trash. Do not pour it down the sink, as it will clog the pipes.

Experiment With the Cornstarch

            Say: I have something really cool for us to play with today! Show preschoolers the cornstarch mixture. Do you think this stuff is a solid (hold up the “solid” object) like this [object] that’s hard and stays the same shape even when I squeeze it? Or do you think it’s liquid (hold up the container of water and swirl it around) like this water that moves and swirls and splashes?

            Ask: • So what do you think? Do you think this goop is a solid or a liquid? Allow preschoolers to guess.       

            Say: Let’s find out! Lightly smack or press your hand down on the substance, and point out that it doesn’t splash or move around. Explain that it’s kind of like a solid.

            Then roll some of the mixture between your hands into a ball before holding your hand flat and allowing the mixture to flow over your hand and back into the pan. Tell children that now it is acting like a liquid by flowing and moving and changing shape.

            Say: Wow, this is so neat!

            Ask: • What surprised you about this stuff?

            Say: This goop acts like a solid and a liquid. It’s both things at the same time! And that reminds me of what we’re learning today. We’ve been learning what it means that Jesus is God’s Son. When Jesus was on earth, he was a person like all of us. But Jesus is also God’s very special Son! He’s two things at the same time—a man and God’s special Son!         

            With the time remaining, allow preschoolers to each experiment with the cornstarch mixture. An easy way to do this is to hand a child a rolled-up “ball” and tell him or her to keep rolling it before stopping and allowing it to flow back into the pan. Make sure children stay over the newspaper or plastic tablecloth to keep cleanup easy. After kids have each had a turn, help clean their hands.

            Say: Like this fun stuff we played with that’s a solid and a liquid, Jesus is a man and he’s God’s Son. He’s two things at the same time!

Play With Modeling Dough

            Say: In our Bible story today, we heard about a time Jesus was at a big church party. And some of the people there wanted to know who Jesus is. Jesus told them, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me.” Jesus had told them that God is his daddy and that Jesus is God’s Son. And Jesus told the people they could know for sure that he’s God’s Son because of all the amazing things he’s done—like healing sick people and even bringing some people back to life!

            Jesus told people this about God: “The Father and I are one…The Father is in me, and I am in the Father.” That sounds a little confusing. Let’s do something to see if we can understand it a little better.

            Give each child a portion of both modeling dough colors. Tell preschoolers they can start squishing and playing with the dough but that they need to keep the colors separate—they can’t mix them yet.

            Say: God and Jesus are kind of like your two portions of playdough. In some ways they are different—like how the dough is two different colors. God is the Father, or the daddy (hold up one color of modeling dough), and Jesus is his Son (hold up the other color of modeling dough). But at the same time, Jesus says that he and God are one. Have preschoolers squish and mix the two different colors of dough together. You’ll want them to combine the dough just enough so that the two portions of dough are well integrated but you can still see the two unique colors.

            Say: Now you have one big clump of dough! You have one clump of dough with two different colors in it. You can still see each of the two colors, but they are also mixed together and can’t be separated! That’s like God and Jesus. They are different, because God is the Father and Jesus is his Son. But they’re also one—God is in Jesus and Jesus is in God.

Sing a Song

            Say: Let’s sing a song to help us remember that Jesus is God’s Son. Have preschoolers sing this song to the tune of “The Muffin Man.”

            Oh, do you know who Jesus is, (hold hands up as if asking a question; sign for Jesus*)

            Who Jesus is, who Jesus is? (sign for Jesus; sign for Jesus)

            Oh, do you know who Jesus is? (hold hands up as if asking a question; sign for Jesus)

            He is the Son of God. (point up with both hands)

            Oh, yes I know who Jesus is, (nod head up and down; sign for Jesus)

            Who Jesus is, who Jesus is. (sign for Jesus; sign for Jesus)

            Oh, yes I know who Jesus is, (nod head up and down; sign for Jesus)

            He is the Son of God. (point up with both hands)

            Oh, God and Jesus, they are one, (hold out one hand, then the other; hold up pointer finger)

            They are one, they are one. (hold up pointer finger; hold up pointer finger)

            Oh, God and Jesus, they are one, (hold out one hand, then the other; hold up pointer finger)

            The Father and the Son. (hold out one hand, then the other; clap hands together after saying “Son”)

Repeat song a few times as time allows.

*To do the sign for Jesus, touch your right middle finger to your left palm, then touch your left middle finger to your right palm.

Tip

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

Play the Game

            Say: Today we’re talking about what it means that Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus and God are so connected that they’re like best friends who spend every moment together. When we pray and talk with Jesus, we are also praying and talking to God. And when we hear Jesus’ words from the Bible, we can know that God is saying those same things to us. When we do what Jesus says in the Bible, that’s a way we can show that we listened to Jesus and God. Let’s play a game where you’ll listen closely to my voice to know what to do next.

            Explain that you’ll call out different actions for preschoolers to do and that when you call “freeze,” everyone will freeze in place as quickly as they can before you then call out a new movement. Remind kids to be listening for your voice so they know when to freeze and when to switch movements.

            Have children spread out around the room, and then turn on music. Begin playing by calling out an action. Every 15 to 30 seconds or so, call out “freeze,” wait for everyone to stop moving, and then call out a different high-energy movement for preschoolers to do. Here are some ideas:

           • jump up and down

           • hop around the room

           • run in a large circle

           • leap

           • walk backward

           • skip

           • crawl as quickly as possible

           • crab walk

           • walk like a spider on hands and feet

Keep the music playing the entire game so that children will specifically have to listen to your voice to know what to do next in the game.

Talk About It

            Ask: • Was it easy or hard to listen for my voice in this game? Why?

            Say: You listened carefully for my voice in our game. We learned in the Bible story that some people didn’t want to listen carefully to Jesus. But Jesus said that we know he’s God’s Son when we listen to him. When someone reads Jesus’ words in the Bible, we can listen to Jesus, too. And when we hear his words, we can know too that he’s God’s Son.

Talk About How We’re Like Our Parents

            Say: When we’re someone’s son or daughter, we’re usually like them. We can be like our mommy and daddy in a lot of different ways. Maybe we have the same hair color as our mommy or daddy, maybe we like to eat the same kinds of foods, or maybe we like to play the same type of sport. For me…share your own example of a way you’re similar to one of your parents.

            Ask: • What are some ways you are like your mom or dad?

            Say: Just like we are a lot like our mommies and daddies, Jesus is a lot like his dad, God! So because we know that Jesus loves us, we can know that God loves us, too! And because we know Jesus is powerful, we can know that God is powerful, too! Because Jesus is God’s Son, we can know that Jesus and God are a lot alike. Let’s play a game to help us remember how much Jesus is like his dad, God!  

Mirror Each Other

            Help preschoolers each find a partner and line up across from one another. Have one line of preschoolers go first and be the “Daddy” while the other line of preschoolers acts as the mirroring “Son.” Help the “Daddy” preschoolers lead their partners in slow-motion movements such as slow-motion clapping, turning in a circle, or making silly faces. Remind preschoolers to move slowly so that their partners can follow their movements as closely as possible. After a couple of minutes, switch partners so that the other child gets to lead.

            You can also play a few rounds as a large group by standing in a circle and choosing one child to lead everyone in slow-motion movements.

            Say: We acted like our partners in the game, kind of the way Jesus acts like God. That’s because Jesus is God’s Son.

Learn a Finger Play

            Say: Today we learned about some sheep who knew their shepherd’s voice. Jesus told that story to help everyone know that he’s God’s Son. Let’s learn a fun song to help us remember what we learned.

            First we have to pretend that our fingers are little sheep. Have the children hold out their hands and wiggle their fingers.

            Lead children in singing this song to the tune of “Where Is Thumbkin?” as you lead them in the motions. Sing the second verse once per child. Use the child’s name where indicated, and help that child sing alone on the “Here I am” part. Have the rest of the children sing with you on the other parts. Everyone can continue with the motions, even when they’re not singing.

            Where are my sheep? (hold hands behind back)

            Where are my sheep? (hold hands behind back)

            Here I am. (bring one thumb in front of you)

            Here I am. (bring the second thumb in front of you)

            Jesus loves and knows us. (hug self)

            Jesus, thank you so much. (make prayer hands and look up)

            You’re God’s Son. (show two thumbs up and nod head)

            You’re God’s Son. (show two thumbs up and nod head)

            (Repeat this second verse for each child.)

            You and children: Where is my sheep? (hold hands behind back)

            You and children: Little [child’s name]? (hold hands behind back)

            Child in focus: Here I am. (bring one thumb in front of you)

            Child in focus: Here I am. (bring the second thumb in front of you)

            You and children: Jesus loves and knows you. (point to child in focus)

            Everyone: Jesus, thank you so much. (make prayer hands and look up)

            Everyone: You’re God’s Son. (show two thumbs up and nod head)

            Everyone: You’re God’s Son. (show two thumbs up and nod head)

            Say: Jesus loves each of you so much! He’s God’s Son, and he still wants to be friends with each of you! Let’s thank him one more time. Close the lesson in prayer. Then tell the children that you’re glad that they came to your class this week.

           Distribute a copy of the “Dig In @ Home” handout to kids as they leave, or email it to parents during the week.