Sermon Title: "Grab a Corner of the Blanket"

Scripture Reading: Mark 2:1-12

BLANKET RELAY: Give each team a blanket to carry a similar item from the start to finish line without dropping the item. If the item drops to the ground, the team must stop and go back to the starting line with the item to be carried, and start over.

BLANKET BOPPING: Divide children into two teams. Let children gather around a large blanket (or parachute if available) and BOP a ball, trying to get the ball OFF the side of their opponents side of the blanket. Keep points for each team for as long as time allows. Let children sit ON the blanket when the game is over and talk about today's lesson.

BUILDING A BLANKET: Give children a piece of construction paper and fold and cut into FOUR equal squares. Let children BUILD a blanket on a large piece of poster board, with taking turns to glue their square onto the poster board. Children can make a "quilt type blanket" with putting different colored squares on the board and taking turns to glue their squares, until all the squares have been made into a "blanket". Write words from today's lesson such as healing, forgiveness, etc.

PRAYER BLANKET: Give children cut up pieces of various colors of paper to FILL IN on a piece of construction paper and have them write names of people to pray for or people to forgive or to bring to Jesus, on the little pieces of various shapes of paper.

MAKE A FRIEND: Give children different shapes and sizes and colors of construction paper and have them glue the pieces together to form a friend to glue onto a folded construction paper card to stand up next to their bed. Have the children write a name on their "card friend" and encourage children to PRAY for that friend every night. This could be a friend at school or someone in their neighborhood who needs to know about Jesus. Encourage children to BRING THEIR FRIEND to Sunday School, or to their home to share a Christian movie together.

BRING A FRIEND: Before class, the teacher can have a bowl of cookies or candy and a child's GOSPEL tract in another bowl at a designated area away from the classroom. As the class is finishing the lesson, let the children take turns "bringing a friend" to the 2 bowls and letting their friend take a cookie and one Gospel tract. Make sure that each child get a turn at bringing some one to that table of treats and also that each child receives a cookie and a tract. Encourage children to BRING a friend to church.

PLAY DOUGH FUN: Give each child some play dough or modeling clay to form the paralyzed man. Let them glue a small piece of material on a small piece of cardboard and place their model on the cot. Ask children what happened to the paralyzed man.

BOX HOUSE: Give a small box to each child to decorate as the house in today’s lesson. The teacher can already have a hole in the roof for the children to lower their play dough man down into the house. Use a small piece of material or felt to lower the man through the roof. They will enjoy telling the story over and over as each child uses their own story telling items. (IF boxes are not available, the teacher can give each child a piece of construction paper to fold into the shape of a house and decorate.

BLANKET PICTURE: Give each child a piece of paper and a small piece of cloth of their choice. Write BRING OTHERS TO JESUS and glue their “blanket material” onto the picture. Some children may want to draw the paralyzed man on the picture as well and the friends who helped him. Stamp pad INK finger prints could work as the head and body of the friends.

FOUR FAITH FRIENDS: Give each child 4 chenille wires to form the 4 friends and glue to a piece of construction paper or hang from the top of a poster board. Write JESUS SAW FAITH!

FRIENDS BOOKLET: Give children several pieces of paper to make into a booklet. Write MY FRIENDS on the cover page and inside the booklet, draw houses and put their friends’ names inside the houses. Encourage children to share JESUS with those friends!

BLANKET TREAT: Give each child a small treat that has been wrapped in a small piece of cloth (like a blanket) and tied with a ribbon. INSIDE each blanket treat, there can be a personal small note from the teacher to encourage the child during the week!

Song:  "Only Believe"

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Accompaniment Track

This song is in the public domain and may be reproduced for ministry purposes.