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18th week of our Journey LIGHT - Jesus is the Light

This week’s destination: JESUS IS THE LIGHT
This week on our journey we learn that Jesus is the Word, the Creator and the Light to the world.

MATERIALS:
Hide 5 letters around the room for Game 1. Print lyrics and Music sheets. Creation Notebook, coloured creation posters from last week, paper glue, scissors, crayons, a large white card to make the Creation Collage. LIGHT Guessing Game cards. Team game instructions X2 cut into strips and placed in two baskets. “He's got the whole world” lyrics sheet and colouring pages. Bible Verse colouring page. A dark cloth/blanket, a Bible and a flash light, candles and matches. Candle bookmark. Photocopy Jesus Cube enough for each child, crayons, glue, scissors.

AS KIDS ARRIVE PRIOR TO THE LESSON :
Welcome Teacher/Trainers, Trainers and students. Encourage the children to pass around their Creation Notebook to enjoy someone else’s Creation walk. These as well as the Creation Colouring pages and Bible verses from the last lesson will be used to make a Creation Collage to display on the wall the entire poster board could be filled with creation pictures let children work together on this project prior to the lesson.

1. OPENING GAME: (10 minutes)
Tell the children that you have hidden 5 letters around the room, they are on pieces of paper, challenge them to find all five and identify the hidden word.

2. TEAM GAMES: (10 minutes)
Split the group into two teams give each team a basket with the Team Game Instructions cut into strips. The student chosen to be the first ‘Light’ picks one of the strips from the basket and must run down to their team and give directions without speaking. Once the team has guessed the clue the student tags or touches someone else from the team and the team shouts out “Be the Light” they then runs up and gets a strip from the basket and becomes the ‘Light’ this continues until everyone in the team has been the “Light”.

3. ACTIVE PRAISE CHORUS: (10 minutes)
Jump, jump, jump into the light, light, light
Run, run, run away from what’s not right
Jump, jump, jump out of the dark, dark, dark
Run to Jesus give Him your heart. Repeat
He is light, He is light, He is the light the light.
He is light, He is light, He is the light the light. Repeat
You are the light, You are the light, You are the light, the light. Repeat

4. INTIMATE WORSHIP: (5 minutes) (See separate lyrics and Music sheet)
Here I am to worship:
Light of the world You stepped down into darkness, opened my eyes let me see
Beauty that made my heart adore You, hope of a life spent with You.
Here I am to worship here I am to bow down here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely altogether worthy altogether wonderful to me
King of all days oh so highly exalted, glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came to the earth You created, all for love's sake became poor
I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross

Prayer: Jesus you told us that You are the light of the world. We believe that whoever follows you will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Thank you for shining in our lives. Amen

Last week we learnt that God created the heaven and the earth, this week we will learn that Jesus was there in the beginning, He was with God, and He (the Word) was God.

Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the Light of all mankind. (John 1:1-4)

Optional: Sing Let there be light (Review music video with lyrics)

b. Sword Play
Ready…Swords up… John 8:12b … CHARGE!
Jesus said “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12b)

Use the Bible Verse colouring page to assist with the teaching of the Bible verse. Split the class into five groups, one group says “Jesus said” the second group say “I am” the third group says “the light” the fourth group say “of the world.” The last group says “John 8:12b”. Say it standing up, say it sitting down, shout it, whisper it, etc. Once the verse is memorized, stand together with lighted candles and say the verse together.

c. Teach the Lesson (15 minutes)
Introduction:
How many of you have ever tried to walk in the dark? Have you ever got up in the middle of the night and tried to walk to the toilet, for example? Maybe you forgot to pick up some sharp object from the floor and you stepped on it in the dark. It can be very difficult and even painful to walk around when it’s really dark.
Gather the children together under the blanket, turn it into a fun experience. ”We’ll see how many people we can get under this dark blanket. It’s pretty dark under here, isn’t it? I wanted to read a Bible verse to you, but now it’s so dark I don’t know if I can. But I think I have something that might help.“ (Retrieve the flashlight out of your bag or pocket) This flashlight will really help; just the thing to push back the darkness. (Turn on the light.) That makes a big difference, doesn’t it? I can see much better. Read Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness; on them light has shined”
Let’s push back the darkness and take the blanket off now. (Remove blanket.) Can anyone answer this question; who is the “light of the world”? (Let children answer .) YES Jesus!

Jesus goes on to say ”Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"
This is a life-changing verse if you see Jesus for who He is . It says that following Jesus is more than tagging along behind him. It means following Him for who He is. (God)
When you follow Jesus you have Him as the light of life. "I am the light . . . Whoever follows me . . . will have the light . . .You will have me,he says, as your light. If you follow me, you have me. I am yours, your Light, your direction "You will have the light of life." What is the connection between light and life? John 1:4 gives the answer can someone read this verse: "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." The life gives the light. The life Jesus has, and the life he shares with those who follow him, gives them light. That is, we are dead and blind to the light until the life of Jesus is imparted to us by God's Spirit, gives the answer can someone read this verse: "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." The life gives the light. The life Jesus has, and the life he shares with those who follow him, gives them light. That is, we are dead and blind to the light until the life of Jesus is imparted to us by God's Spirit, and then we see.

The eyes of our hearts are opened, and divine light streams into our living spirits. And thus we have the light of life. The light that comes from new, spiritual, eye-opening life — the life that gives sight to the blind soul, eternal life giving eternal sight.

"The light of the world" what does this means?

1. The world has no other light than Him. If there is going to be a light for the world, it will be Jesus. It is Jesus or darkness. There is no third alternative. No other light.

2. It means that all the world, and everyone in it needs, Jesus as their light.

3. It means that the world was made for this light. This is not a foreign light. This is the light of the owner of the world. When this light comes, it not only makes sin plain and ugly, but it also makes everything good in the world shine with its full and true beauty.

4. It means that that one day this world will be filled with this light as the waters cover the sea, and all darkness, and all the works of darkness, and all the sons of darkness will be cast out. In that day, all will be light. Jesus, the radiance of the Father, will fill the world, and everything will be beautiful with the light of Christ.

Extracts taken from www.desiringgod.org

Jesus Is A Shining Light - When He walked upon this earth, Jesus was in the business of delivering men from darkness. He is still doing that today? If you have never been saved, you can come to Jesus today and He will bring you out of the darkness and the bondage in which you find yourself. He is still a Shining Light and a Saviour to all who will come to Him He said, “I am the light.” He didn’t say, “I am a light in Jerusalem.” He said, “I am the light of the world.” That includes us.

Light dispels darkness. And Jesus Christ is the light of truth that dispels the darkness of falsehood. Jesus is the light of wisdom that dispels the darkness of ignorance. Jesus is the light of holiness that dispels the darkness of impurity. Jesus is the light of joy that dispels the darkness of sorrow. Jesus Christ is the light of life that dispels the darkness of death. To say, “I am the light of the world,” is to identify yourself as God.

Psalm 27:1. “The Lord is my light and my salvation” — The people that heard this teaching understood what Jesus was saying. He was claiming to be God. He was claiming to be the Messiah, the light. “I know the way out of darkness,” Jesus says. “I know the way out of the darkness of ignorance, the darkness of sin. I know the way out of the darkness of sadness and sorrow, out of the darkness of death. Follow me, and I will lead you to life, eternal life.”

6. APPLICATION / ENCOUNTERING GOD: Refer to our Encountering God Handbook for ideas for this important section of the session. Experience the Holy Spirit Learning Centers creating an atmosphere for this experience. Encourage the children to come forward holding a candle (either a lighted real candle or the candle bookmark) and Pray and thank God for sending His son Jesus to be the Light of the World.

CLOSING PRAYER:
Jesus, you are the Light of the world! Thank you for shining in our lives to show us the way we should go. Amen.

TAKE HOME PAGE: The Jesus Cube
How to assemble the Jesus Cube:
Cut out the outer edges of the Jesus Cube including the Bible Verse Acts 16:31
Fold all the solid lines inward. Glue tag A (Jesus is God) to the inside edge of side B (He lived a perfect life)
Fold in the two flaps and glue ‘He came from Heaven to earth’ to them. Fold in the top two flaps but DO NOT glue ‘He is in Heaven now’ leave that as the lid that can open. Place Acts 16:31inside the Cube and close the lid.

How to use the Jesus Cube:
" Do you want to have a look at my Jesus Cube?"
(Start with the Trinity) - Jesus is God! (Turn the Cube)
He came from Heaven to earth. (Turn the Cube)
He lived a perfect life. (Turn the Cube)
He died on the cross (Turn the Cube)
and rose from the dead, to pay the penalty for our sins and to purchase a place in Heaven for us. (Turn the Cube)
Jesus is in Heaven now offering us the FREE GIFT of eternal life.
Do you want to see what is inside my Jesus Cube? (Open the Cube and remove the Bible Verse Acts 16:31 Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Give your friend the verse and share the full Gospel Plan with them.)

Optional: ‘Take Home Quiz’ books are available for the children at the end of this session.

Candle bookmark one for each child

NEXT WEEK: We will learn that God is Light.

CLICK to view Session #19.