Jesus Calms the Storm Matthew 8:23-27

3 Jesus Calms the Storm Matthew 8:23-27 Kids will understand: The story of Jesus calming the angry storm. We all face storms in our lives. We can choose to be frightened or we can choose to have faith. July 21 2013

Activity How many of you have seen a big storm? Can anyone describe what it was like? What did it feel like? Look like? Sound like? How did it make you feel? Could you imagine being in a storm when you re in a boat on the water? The thunder clapping, the waves crashing, the lightning splitting the sky, and the rain pouring down. Would you be scared? We re going to try something, and I need your help! We re going to make some waves! Have you ever seen a group of people make a wave? Choose a volunteer to be the runner. Everyone should sit in a line and the runner will run across and in front of the line. When the runner runs in front of the kids, they will stand up quickly and put their arms up in the air and make this sound Woooooosh! Then, they should sit down as fast as they can. With everyone standing up and sitting down as the runner is running in front of them, it will look like a wave! The runner can run back and forth as many times as he/she wants, but as soon as the leader raises her hand and says HUSH, the kids will all STOP whatever they re doing and freeze immediately. No moving or talking. Everyone should listen closely so they will hear HUSH. (Continue to use this signal any time throughout the day to get the kids attention.) Let the runner run across the line, then say HUSH to get the kids attention. Today s Bible story is about a storm. Jesus and His friends the disciples got on a boat, and a storm came but then something crazy happened! Let s watch this video to find out what happened on the boat with Jesus. Bible Story Show the video. The Bible story today is about Jesus and His disciples, and a time when they went out on a boat. Then something unexpected happened! video Jesus Calms the Storm If you d like to present this live, the script is at the end of Extra Options. Game Before the game, fill up some empty spray bottles or squirt guns with water. You can buy empty spray bottles at most dollar stores or use household cleaner spray bottles that have been emptied and cleaned. spray bottles full of water You can use any number of bottles you want. The people with the spray bottles will sit or stand stationary, spread out in the center of the room 2

or playing area and try to spray people who are running from one side of the room or area to the other. The sprayers can t move; they must stay in their area and spray the people who are running past. It s a good idea to ask your oldest kids to be the sprayers, to give them something special to do. Then you can play again if you want, and allow the younger kids to be the sprayers. This game would be best in a big outdoor playing area or a carpeted room, not a slick surface (such as a gym floor), because the water on the floor could cause kids who are running to slip and fall. Who remembers the name of the body of water Jesus and the disciples were in during the storm? The Sea of Galilee! When the disciples were on the Sea of Galilee on that boat, they were probably taken by surprise by some waves that hit them some from the front, and some from behind. Sometimes, waves surprise us in real life too, when problems sneak up on us! They can get us all messy, because storms have a way of messing things up! But we don t have to let them mess us up. In this game, you re all going to pretend to swim across the Sea of Galilee. When I say Go you will run quickly from one side of the room to the other. In the middle of the room, there will be some big waves that are trying to stop you from getting across the Sea of Galilee! The big waves will try to stop you by spraying you with their water. If you get sprayed, you must stop and sit out. Keep playing until there s only one person left. Game These story reinforcement games are important in order for the leader to be sure the kids actually took in what was happening in the story. And, they provide for all the kids getting in on answering. These may sound like simple questions, but remember many of your kids are being introduced to this story for the first time, even though you ve heard it many, many times. squirt guns empty water bottles Set 10 empty water bottles on a table (or something that would get them off the ground at least 2 feet). Space them about 8 apart. Then, according to the power of your squirt guns, designate a line that the squirters will have to stand behind. Choose two kids to squirt at the same time. At the signal, they will both try to squirt over one of the water bottles any one they prefer. When the first bottle goes down the squirting stops. Ask the winning squirter one of the questions below about the story. If they need help, they will call on their squirting opponent to help them out. Questions and Answers What was the name of the sea that the disciples and Jesus sailed out on? (Sea of Galilee) What had Jesus been doing all day? (teaching the people) 3

Why did the disciples and Jesus go sailing? (to get away from the crowds and to rest) What unexpectedly changed? (a storm came up) Why were the disciples afraid? (It was a really bad storm and they thought the boat might fall apart.) What was Jesus doing when the storm started? (sleeping) Why do you think the disciples didn t want to wake Jesus? (because he had been working so hard) What did Jesus say to the storm? (Be still!) What happened when Jesus spoke to the storm? (everything got calm) What amazed the disciples? (the power Jesus had) Message - Part 1 (show slide #2) When the storm comes Put the kids in groups of 4-6, and give each group a piece of paper and a pencil. The kids will write down as many things as they can think of that are part of a storm (example: wind, rain). Give them a few minutes to work together with their groups and come up with their answers, and then have them share their lists. Here are some answers: wind, rain, snow, hail, waves, thunder, lightning, tornado, tsunami, hurricane, clouds, sand. PowerPoint slides paper pencils When the disciples were on the boat with Jesus, they faced a storm. Think about some of the things we just said are part of a storm. Imagine what the disciples must have felt like with the waves crashing and the lightning and thunder booming, torrential rains pouring down how scary it must ve been! They thought they were setting out on a nice, peaceful boat outing. Storms can really mess things up! Sometimes in our lives, we face challenges that seem to mess things up too! What are some personal storms or problems people might face? (fights with friends, parents getting a divorce, bullying, death of a pet, family member or friend, parents losing jobs) Turn to a neighbor and share a personal storm you ve experienced, if you feel comfortable sharing about it. (show slide #3) We will face storms. It s not a matter of IF we will face storms in life, but WHEN, because God never promises that things will go perfectly and we ll always be happy and comfortable. In fact, Jesus, who lived a perfect life, had 4

lots of problems! People hated Him, accused Him of lying, made fun of Him, and killed Him! So, we should not think that we will never face hard times. BUT we don t have to be scared about hard times, challenges, or problems, because (show slide #4) God is always there. When the disciples were on the boat and it started storming, at first they got scared. Where was Jesus? Sleeping! But the disciples soon learned that Jesus was there for them, and He took care of them after all. At Jesus word, the storm was silenced. Sometimes we might think that God is sleeping during our storms. But God hasn t abandoned us; He is on the case, and He is concerned about you. Even if it sometimes doesn t seem like it, we must have faith and remember that God always hears our prayers and always cares for us. Look up and read Deuteronomy 31:8 together. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Skit The 5 actors you ll need are: Farmer Joe, racecar driver, a person in a row boat, an airplane pilot, and a narrator (who is also God speaking at the end). If you have sound effects, you can play sound effects for rain, helicopter, lightning/thunder. script chair table 5 actors Don t freak out because 5 people are needed! No one has to learn lines and very, very little rehearsal is necessary. This will be so fun for actors and kids! Begin with just the narrator and Farmer Joe on stage, everyone else off to the side. Put the chair and the table on the stage area as well. Farmer Joe can have an accent any kind to make the skit funnier. The narrator is really the only character who needs a script during the skit, because the narrator will tell the others what to say. Make sure the narrator knows to pause every time he says someone else s line so they can repeat it. Farmer Joe: Farmer Joe: Once, there was a farmer named Farmer Joe. Hi! I m Farmer Joe! Farmer Joe loved to work in his cornfields. He loved it so much, that whenever he worked in his cornfields, he would dance around happily and thank God for all the corn that grew! Thank you, God, for all the corn that grows! One day, when Farmer Joe was out tending to his corn, he looked in the distance and noticed a storm coming his way! 5

Farmer Joe: (point and look in the distance) There s a storm coming my way! But Farmer Joe wasn t scared! He got down on his knees and prayed to God. He said, (pause after each line so Farmer Joe can repeat what you say) Dear God Please save me From that storm that s a-comin! Amen. Racecar: Racecar: Farmer Joe: Racecar: Then Farmer Joe got up and waited for God to save him. (pause while Farmer Joe gets up) He saw a racecar come speeding down the road! (race car driver runs out and pretends to be driving) The racecar driver said hey to Farmer Joe! Hey Farmer Joe! I see a big storm coming. Why don t you hop in this racecar with me, and we ll drive away to safety! (pause and let the race car driver repeat the line.) Why don t you hop in this racecar with me and we ll drive away to safety! But Farmer Joe said, No thank you! I m waiting on God to save me. No thank you! I m waiting on God to save me. So the racecar driver said Alright, see ya! and sped away. But the storm came. Alright, see ya! (speeds away) And the wind started blowing, and the rain started pouring. And the rain made the floodwaters rush around Farmer Joe! He climbed into his house and shut the door and went up to the second floor to escape the rising floodwaters. (pause while Farmer Joe climbs onto the chair and stands on it). Then he got down on his knees and prayed to God, as the thunder crashed (if you have sound effects, you can play a thunder/lightning effect here). Farmer Joe said, (pause after each line so Farmer Joe can repeat what you say) Dear God Please save me From this storm that s a-comin. Amen. 6

Then Farmer Joe got up and waited for God to save him. The lightning and thunder were still crashing and the rain was pouring. The floodwaters were rising. All of a sudden, he looked out the window and saw a person in a rowboat rowing up to his house! (pause while the row boat person walks out, pretending to row) The person said, Farmer Joe! There s a big storm! Get in my boat and we will row to safety! Rowboat: Narrator Farmer Joe: Rowboat: Farmer Joe! There s a big storm! Get in my boat and we will row to safety! But Farmer Joe said, No thank you! I m waiting on God to save me! No thank you, I m waiting on God to save me! So the person in the row boat said, Well, I m getting out of here! and rowed away quickly. Well, I m getting out of here! (rows away quickly) Then the lightning continued to strike and the thunder continued to crash, and the rain continued to pour! And the floodwaters continued to rise. And Farmer Joe had to run up to the top of his house and get on the roof to escape the floodwaters. (pause while Farmer Joe climbs up to the table and stands on it) Then Farmer Joe got down on his knees and prayed. Farmer Joe said, (pause after each line so Farmer Joe can repeat what you say) Dear God Please save me From this storm that s a-comin. Amen. Then Farmer Joe got up and waited for God to save him. As he stood up, he heard a loud sound. (If you have sound effects, you can play an airplane or a helicopter sound effect here.) He looked up and saw an airplane flying toward him. (pause while the airplane pilot runs out) As it got closer, he heard the pilot yell something out of a loud speaker. The pilot said, Farmer Joe! That storm is really bad! Climb on this rope and get in the helicopter and we ll fly away to safety! Helicopter: Farmer Joe: Famer Joe! That storm is really bad! Climb on this rope and get in the helicopter, and we ll fly away to safety! But Farmer Joe said, No thank you! I m waiting on God to save me! No, thank you! I m waiting on God to save me! 7

Farmer Joe: So the airplane flew away as fast as it could, and Farmer Joe stayed on the roof. And the wind was rushing, and the rain was falling, and thunder was roaring, and the flood was rising and the next thing Farmer Joe knew, he saw God, and he said, Hey, God! Why didn t you save me? Where were you during that terrible storm? Hey God! Why didn t you save me? Where were you during that terrible storm? And God said, I was with you the whole time! I sent a racecar, a rowboat, and a helicopter to rescue you! THE END God never left Farmer Joe, and He never leaves us. But God doesn t always calm our storm or fix our problem exactly the way we think He should. Sometimes, we are the ones who need God to calm US, instead of calming the craziness or difficulty of our circumstances! Message - Part 2 PowerPoint slides (show slide #5) How do you respond? What the disciples saw was a threat to their safety. But Jesus was so confident in His power over the wind and waves that He was resting peacefully. How do you respond when you face a storm or a problem? (cry, run away, get angry, ignore it) How did the disciples respond when Jesus calmed the storm? (at first they were scared, but then they were thankful and they calmed down) How do you think Jesus wants us to respond? (with faith, with awe and amazement) It says in the Bible that God can use challenges to make us stronger, to make us more like Him. Romans 5:3-4 says, Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. What do you think this means? How can challenges make us more like Him? When we trust God, we can grow in faith, and we can become closer to Him. When we go through challenges, we can grow stronger in our character, and become more patient, more honest, or more compassionate. 8

We learned earlier that we will face storms in life, but we don t have to be scared because why? God is always there! And while we can t always choose whether or not storms come, we can always choose how we respond. God wants us to respond by trusting Him, and He will give us courage and peace. Scripture Memorization 1 John 4:4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 25 craft sticks per team large pieces of blue paper clear packing tape Before your service, use a pen to write one word from the verse on every craft stick. (This is best done with a ballpoint pen, because it won t bleed in the wood.) There are 25 words in the verse. If you re going to have more than one team, make one set for each team. For each team, you will also need a large piece of blue paper with 1 John 4:4 written across the top. Read the memory verse to the kids before you begin. Put the craft sticks ALL TOGETHER, all mixed up, on one end of the room, and have each team line up on the other side of the room (opposite their craft sticks). They will run down one at a time and pick up one craft stick, then lay it down on their colored paper. They must keep track of which words their team has picked up, so they only pick up the words they need. All the kids will take turns running to pick up a craft stick and laying it down until they ve all had a turn. They will keep going until they ve collected all the craft sticks. The blue piece of paper represents water, and the craft sticks will be laid side by side on the water to form a raft. After the team has collected all the craft sticks, they should work together to put the words in order, by laying the craft sticks side by side on the paper to look like a raft. Once they think they have it right, they can put the clear tape over it to keep the sticks on the paper, and hold it up as they say the verse together. Activity Split the kids into pairs; one person will be #1 and one person will be #2. Read the following scenarios and tell them that #1 should pretend to be positive and look for the good things in every circumstance, and #2 should pretend to be negative and look for the problems in every circumstance. Read each circumstance and give them an opportunity to talk with each other about the positives and negatives in each circumstance. They may have to look really hard in some of the circumstances to find the good in it. 9

You wanted to go outside to play on a Saturday afternoon, but a rainstorm came. You have to go to school. You and your family are going to move to a new city far away from your home. It s winter. You didn t make the basketball team. Some kids at school are bullying one of your friends. You re on a boat with Jesus in the middle of a sea and it starts storming. What do you think the disciples thought when the storm came? Do you think they were scared? They were so scared because of the storm that they forgot how powerful Jesus was! If they would have remembered that Jesus was there and had faith in Him, they might not have panicked so much about the storm. It can be hard to see the good in some circumstances, but when we remember how much Jesus loves us and how He wants to help us through our problems, those circumstances become a chance for us to grow. Look up and read together James 1:2-4. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. How do our problems help us grow? (We can become more mature, more like God, we grow stronger and learn from our problems) How can we have faith and grow during our personal storms? Prayer You are going to create prayer stations to help the kids experience a storm, and remind them of God s presence and peace during storms. This is a great opportunity for the kinesthetic learners to see, feel, hear, and experience the Bible story! electric fan big bowl of water fog machine cymbals flashlight Before the service, set up the stations in different areas of the room. Plug in the fan, which will represent the rushing wind. In another area, set up a big bowl of water, which will represent the rain and waves. In another area, set up a fog machine, if you have one. You will have to pour the liquid fog into the machine and wait until it is ready. Make sure to read the manufacturer s instructions when using the fog machine. Most manufactured fog machines are completely safe, and it is not hazardous to breathe in the fog. This will represent storm clouds and fog. In another area of the room, set up the cymbals or pots and spoons, which will represent the loud thunder. In another area of the room set up the flashlight, which will represent the lightning. 10

Tell the kids about each prayer station, and instruct them to, at your guidance, kneel at each station and imagine how the storm must feel. If you have a big group, they can split into smaller groups and rotate through the stations. Fan: As you feel the wind blowing on you, imagine the rushing wind during a storm. Bowl of water: As you dip your hands in the water, imagine the feel of the waves splashing you and the rain pounding down on you during a storm. *Optional you may want to set out a pitcher of salt water and allow the kids to pour a small cup of salt water, dip their finger in to taste, and imagine what the water from the sea must have tasted like when the waves were crashing. Fog machine: As you see and feel the fog, imagine the dark storm clouds and blinding fog during a storm. Cymbals: As you hit the cymbal, imagine the loud crashing thunder during a storm. Flashlight: As you flash the flashlight on and off at the wall, imagine the flashing lightning striking during a storm. Before leaving each station, the kids will kneel and pray, God, thank you for being with me through the storms. You are strong and powerful and with me always. You can use these stations to help you imagine the kind of storm that came down on the sea. Jesus calmed the seas that were rough from the storm. But, God also wants to calm the storms that are going on inside of us. When you re going through something difficult, do you ever feel like your insides are like one of these stations? Look up Psalm 107:29-31 and read it aloud. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men. Let s pray and give thanks to God. Dear God, Thank you for loving us and always being with us, even during our storms. We praise you because you are more powerful than the challenges we face. Please help us have faith and give us courage when we face storms. When we feel scared or upset, give us peace and power. You are always in control, and we trust you. Thank you for protecting us and letting us grow during our storms. Jesus Name, Amen. Music Provided in this quarter s download are several Yancy songs. For this lesson, the songs are: I m Really Happy and It s Not New. For more Yancy resources, check out yancynotnancy.com. DVD music downloads 11

Blessing May God give you faith, courage and strength to weather any storm you face. 12

Craft We re going to make pinwheels, because pinwheels are used to tell when the wind is getting really strong and a storm is approaching. Our pinwheels will remind us that although storms may come in life, God will give us strength to weather them! God will give us courage and peace during any storm. copies of the pinwheel pattern at end of lesson thumbtacks small erasers straws scissors First cut out your square. Then cut out the lines that make the X in the square, but don t cut all the way through! Leave the middle intact. Then fold each side marked with a dot into the center until it touches the circle. (It should be the same side of every triangle.) Put a pin or a thumbtack through the center of the pinwheel to hold it in place. Hold a straw against the back of the pinwheel and stick the thumbtack through the straw. Hold it in place by sticking a small eraser to the end of it. Tell the kids to take their pinwheels out into the wind, and notice when the wind makes it spin it s when the wind hits the center of the pinwheel! Game Before the game, write BOW, STERN, STARBOARD, and PORT on separate pieces of paper. Tape these to the following walls. The bow is the front of the ship, the stern is the back, the port is the left side, and the starboard is the right side. We re going to pretend we re on a boat, like Jesus and the disciples were during the storm in today s Bible story! A storm is coming, and the waves are starting to crash into our boat. So you will have to run really fast to different sides of the boat to escape the waves. I will warn you about where the waves are by shouting the name of the place you should run to. When you shout BOW, the kids should run as fast as they can to the wall with the BOW sign. When you shout STERN, they should run as fast as they can to the wall with the STERN sign. When you shout STARBOARD, they should run to the wall with the STARBOARD sign. When you shout PORT, they should run to the wall with the PORT sign. When you shout ALL HANDS ON DECK that means the waves are coming from all sides, and the kids should run as fast as they can to the center of the room. When you shout OVERBOARD that means the waves have tipped the boat and everyone s in the water. They should all get down on the floor as fast as they can and pretend to swim. If you shout HUSH, that means 13 shipwreck signs tape

the waves and storms have stopped, and you should freeze immediately. In order to stay on the boat and continue with the game, they need to be really fast and try not to be the last person to get to each place. You can shout the names in any order you want, and although this game is very fast-paced, don t forget that you can say HUSH at any time to get all the kids attention. Science Experiment You can purchase a Tornado Tube at science/teacher stores, or online for under $4. One of the most terrifying types of storms is a hurricane, which is a storm on the water! But hurricanes are more than just waves and wind. Hurricanes form when the air and water are really humid and hot, and the air starts to evaporate, and then winds come and push the air so it collides. That s when the wind and water begin swirling uncontrollably and violently! We are going to make our own little hurricane in a bottle, and as we do, remember that God is more powerful than hurricanes. Thank God that He is stronger than any problem we face. 2 2-liter bottles water Tornado Tube or a washer and electrical tape Make sure the bottles are cleaned and the labels are peeled off. Fill one of the bottles about ¾ the way with water. If you want to, you can put some confetti or food coloring in the water to make it more visible to the kids. Attach the Tornado Tube to the bottles by screwing it into both bottles. If you don t have a Tornado Tube, put a washer in the opening of one of the bottles and cover it with electrical tape. Cut through the tape at the hole. Then attach the other bottle by taping the two openings together tightly. Once the two bottles are connected, flip them over so the water-filled bottle is on top. It will begin swirling it in one direction. Then, let the kids watch as a swirling hurricane forms when the water goes into the empty bottle. BIBLE ACCOUNT - Script Have you ever had such a full day that you were absolutely exhausted at the end of it? All you wanted to do was collapse? Well, the Bible tells us that Jesus had days like that, too. On one particular day, he had been teaching the people about the Kingdom of God all day long, and no matter where He went, people found Him. So, Jesus and His disciples decided to get in a boat and head for the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Once they got away from shore and the boat was gently rocking, Jesus fell asleep. 14

The boat was way out into the sea Jesus was asleep the disciples were relaxing and talking with one another about what had happened that day when, all of a sudden, a storm moved in. The Sea of Galilee, even today, is known for having storms move in at the blink of an eye. The waves got bigger and the disciples started getting wet from the rain that was coming down. (Two people spray the storyteller with squirt guns.) Real funny guys. Anyway, the rain started coming down. The waves got bigger and bigger and the disciples were afraid the boat was going to fall apart. Jesus just slept through all the excitement. Just about that time, a huge wave blasted the boat. (From behind, dump a cup of water on the storyteller s head.) Excuse me just a moment. (Put a pancho and rain hat on.) Just in case they have any more ideas. Now, let s continue. Let s see a wave had just blasted the boat. (Storyteller looks around for water.) The disciples didn t want to wake Jesus, but they didn t know what else to do, since they thought the boat was about to sink. Finally, they shook Him and said, Wake up, Jesus. Don t you care that we re about to die in this storm? When Jesus opened His eyes, He saw how frightened His disciples were. And, He asked them, Why are you so afraid? Don t you have any faith? That s when Jesus got up and faced the waves that were bombarding the boat. (Storyteller looks around for water.) He said words that I don t think the disciples would ever forget. He said, Be still. He told the wind and the waves to hush! And they did! Everything turned calm and quiet. Wow! The disciples didn t know what to think. Even the wind and the waves listened to Jesus. They were totally amazed at the power Jesus had. While you guys talk about the story a little more, I think I ll go dry off. 15

Pinwheel pattern