I'm starting a new series for the spring of this year based on the Wednesday night program at my church for kids in 3rd-5th grade. We usually walk through a Bible Verse or set of verses and then play games or do activities that reinforce the verse to make it more relatable to a 3rd-5th grader living in the modern age.
This weeks lesson was from John 2:1-11 (ESV)
1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.[a] 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast." So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
I relate to this verse because my daughter got married this summer. I was the host, and the whole thing was very complicated and stressful. It got worse when we ran out of something essential, napkins. We were out halfway through the party and hadn't even cut the cake yet. I almost did the miracle of turning paper towels into napkins, but there weren't enough of those to go around either. So I found myself running home and scrounging every napkin I could find. So I really "feel" this miracle.
But kids these days don't necessarily get the context of this story. Many have never been to a wedding, few have the experience as the host of a party, and wine in Jesus' time vs. today is a complex subject.
So I came up with a game where the kids have to throw a party for someone special. I picked that because it made them think about pleasing someone else and providing that person's favorite things to the party. Once they had the person in mind and the menu put together, I paired them up with another child and created a disaster.
"Oh No Mr. Brokken showed up and ate all the Oreos! What will we do"
Then their partner has to come up with a "Miracle" which might be "dinner rolls turned into Oreos with Double Stuff" Because Jesus didn't just turn water into wine, he made the BEST wine. Finally, the host of the party writes down their reaction so they can show the story to others.
You can download the activity here.
