VBS 2023 Night 3

Start It (5 Minutes)

Welcome

Ask: How does the music make you feel?

Distribute plates, markers, and tissues.

Use the markers to draw on the plate how the music made you feel.

Hold up your plates to show your feelings to others in the group

Now, wipe off your drawing with these tissues and listen to the situations that I describe, drawing how each one makes you feel

Hearing a huge storm outside

Hearing a parent talk about needing to move to a new town

A kid intentionally knocking over your drink at lunch

Winning first prize in a contest

Waking up to see snow outside

Knowing your best friend is sick

Finding out your family can’t go on vacation

Knowing you did something you shouldn’t do

When people do things they shouldn’t do, they often feel sad, disappointed in themselves, or ashamed.

Learn It (10 Minutes)

Place the Day 3 banner add-on onto the banner.

Forgiving is choosing not to punish someone who has hurt you.

Listen for reasons Peter needed to ask for someone’s forgiveness in today’s Bible story.

You can hold uyp your fingers to help me count them

Then, listen closely for something else that we’ll count.

I’ll tell you when.

As you tell the story, hold up one, two, or three fingers to highlight the three times Peter denied Jesus and again to point out the three times Jesus affirmed Peter.

Open your Bible to Luke 22.

Peter Denied Jesus and was Restored

Jesus knew He would soon be arrested, crucified, and buried in a tomb.

And, He knew He would be resurrected on the third day.

Jesus even knew His disciples would be afraid and abandon Him for a while.

Jesus told Peter that difficult times were coming and Jesus had prayed for Peter.

Peter declared that he would follow Jesus to prison or even to death.

Jesus replied that Peter would deny he knew Jesus three times that vary night before the rooster crowed.

Later that night, in the garden of Gethsemane, soldiers came and arrested Jesus.

They took Him to the high priest’s house and made up chargers against Jesus.

Peter followed at a distance.

Several people were sitting around a charcoal fire.

Peter joined them.

A woman in the group recognized Peter and said, “This man was with Him.”

Peter declared, “I don’t know Him.”

(Hold up one finger.)

Then someone else saw Peter, “You are one of them, too.”

Peter again declared, “I am not!”

(Hold up a second finger.)

About an hour later another person said, “I am certain this man was with Him.”

Peter replied, “I don’t know what you are talking about!:

(Hold up a third finger.)

Just then a rooster crowed.

Jesus turned and looked right at Peter.

Peter remembered what Jesus had said.

Peter left, filled with shame and crying with regret.

The next day, Jesus was crucified on a cross.

His body was buried in a tomb.

On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead!

Jesus then appeared to Peter and the rest of the disciples that day and again a week later.

Some time later Peter decided to go fishing.

Six of the other disciples went with him.

They fished all night but caught nothing.

The next morning a man on the shore called out, “Friends, you don’t have any fish, do you?”

The disciples answered no.

The man said, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat.”

They did and the net filled with so many fish they could not haul it in.

Suddenly John, one of the disciples, realized the man was Jesus!

He told Peter, “It is the Lord!”

Peter plunged into the water and swam to shore.

Jesus had a charcoal fire ready and asked them to bring some of the fish

There were 153 fish in the net!

Jesus took the bread and fish that He had cooked and shared it with them.

After they had eaten, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?”

(Hold up one finger)

Peter replied, Yes, Lord, You know I love You.”

Jesus asked a second and a third time.

(Hold up two fingers and then three).

Each time Peter answered yes.

Each time Jesus told Peter to take care of his sheep (the other followers of Jesus)

Peter had denied Jesus, but Jesus knew Peter was ready to return to following Him.

Present the “Day 3 Bible Story Picture”

Ask: What kinds of emotions are the people in the picture showing?

Review Questions:

How many times did Peter lie about knowing Jesus?

Three

How did Peter feel after lying about Jesus?

Sad, ashamed

What happened to Jesus after He was arrested?

He was crucified and buried, but now He lives again.

What happened when Jesus told the disciples to throw their fishing nets on the other side of the boat?

They caught many fish.

What did Jesus ask Peter three times?

Do you love Me?

Discussion Questions:

How do you think Peter might have felt when the disciples caught so many fish?

Why do you think Jesus asked Peter three times if He loved Him?

How does being forgiven make you feel?

Know It (7 Minutes)

Looks look at our theme verse poster.

Psalm 25:4 CSB

4 Make your ways known to me, Lord; teach me your paths.

Now, I am going to cover the poster

Go ahead and choose a sheet of construction paper, and let’s arrange a large circle on the floor using them.

Stand just outside the circle, near any paper.

Place the dry erase board or large paper inside the circle.

Walk clockwise around the circle as you play music, but stop near a piece of paper as soon as I stop the music

When you stop the music, choose a square from the gift bag. Let a child who is standing near a paper of that color erase or mark out one word from the verse. Lead the group to repeat the verse together, filling in the missing words.

Repeat the process again, letting a kid near the chosen color erase or mark out one more word.

Repeat the verse together, including the missing words.

Continue until the entire verse is erased or marked out.

Repeat the verse together from memory.

Live it (5 Minutes)

Let’s look back at our Twists and Turns banner

Today’s add-on tells us that Jesus forgives people when they sin.

Sin is choosing not to obey God but choosing one’s own way.

Everyone except Jesus sins sometimes in his or her life.

Sin separates people from God

Sin deserves God’s punishment.

However, God sent Jesus who has never sinned to take the punishment we deserve.

This is a gift Jesus gives us!

But people must choose to receive what Jesus did for them.

Peter sinned when he lied about not knowing Jesus, but Jesus forgave Peter.

Jesus will forgive us too, when we receive His gift of forgiveness and choose to follow Him with our lives.

Finish It (3 Minutes)

Ask: What did Jesus do after Peter lied about knowing Jesus? (He forgave Peter)

Peter was sorry he had done wrong

A person must repent of his sin, or turn away from that sin, and ask God to forgive him.

Add today’s tag to the Memory Maker bags

Look at the heart on the tag!

Ask: How does the heart remind you of Jesus in today’s story?

You can use your memory makers to remember and tell others what you have learned.

Pass a basket or bowl for kids to leave their Memory Makers for the next day.

Pray, thanking Jesus for forgiving people when they ask Him.