SERIES DESCRIPTION
The connection between humility and God’s character, as shown through God’s big story.
We live in a me-centered world, where people act as if the world revolves around them. Figuring out how to be humble can be difficult. But we don’t have to figure this out on our own. When Jesus was on earth, He gave us the ultimate example of humility. Jesus is God, and He put that aside for us. Through His life and death, He also showed us how to serve others and put them first.
April Curriculum:
Week One (April 5)
The Way
Bible Story: The Way (Jesus Prays in Gethsemane) • Matthew 26:36-56 (Supporting: Luke 22:39-46)
Bottom Line: Put others first.
Key Question: How do you put others first?
Memory Verse: Don’t do anything only to get ahead. Don’t do it because you are proud. Instead, be humble. Value others more than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (NIrV)
Life App: Humility—Putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve
Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated
Key Question: How do you put others first? Learning to put others first is an important skill for preteens. For most preteens, it’s all about them most of the time. We hope that through this discussion, they discover simple ways to prioritize being humble and putting others first.
We start off the month in Matthew 26:36-56. Jesus had been with His disciples at a special Passover meal where He demonstrated service and humility as He washed their feet. Afterwards, Jesus lead them the garden to watch and pray. Jesus gave us an important lesson in humility as He prays to His Father, “Not my will, but Your will.” Jesus was soon arrested and put on trial to humbly face the darkest moments of His life.
Bottom Line: Put others first. As we look at some of Jesus’ last interactions with His closest followers, we pray that kids will understand the importance of putting others first. This isn’t always our initial response, but when we choose to show humility and put others first, we get to point others to Jesus.
Week Two (April 12) - EASTER
Above All
Bible Story: Above All (Crucified and Risen) • John 18:12–20:23 (Supporting: John 16, Matthew 26)
Bottom Line: Jesus put us first.
Key Question: What does Easter mean to you?
Memory Verse: Don’t do anything only to get ahead. Don’t do it because you are proud. Instead, be humble. Value others more than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (NIrV)
Life App: Humility—Putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Key Question: What does Easter mean to you? Easter is more than chocolate bunnies and egg hunts, but for some kids they’re just starting to realize this for themselves. We hope this question sparks some great discussion in Small Group about why Easter is so important to our faith. We get to really celebrate Jesus and grow in our relationship with Him.
For week two, we celebrate Easter. We’ll see through John 18:12–20:23, how Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection makes it possible for us to have a forever relationship with God. Jesus humbly gave Himself for us as the ultimate sacrifice to rescue us from the consequences of our sin.
Bottom Line: Jesus put us first. This is what Easter is all about. Jesus put us first. He gave up everything He deserved to rescue us from the consequences of sin. Jesus conquered death and is alive! We hope that kids leave with a clearer understanding of how much God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us through His Son.
Week Three (April 19)
Lean on Me
Bible Story: Lean on Me (Servant Principle) • Philippians 2:3-8
Bottom Line: Put others first because Jesus put you first.
Key Question: What keeps you from putting others first?
Memory Verse: Don’t do anything only to get ahead. Don’t do it because you are proud. Instead, be humble. Value others more than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (NIrV)
Life App: Humility—Putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve
Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.
Key Question: What keeps you from putting others first? If we’re honest, I think we’d all say that putting others first can be difficult sometimes. One of the best ways to figure out how to put others first is to think about the reasons you might not show humility in the first place. Small group leaders will guide preteens through conversations that we pray will allow them to consider how they can show humility even in those situations where it’s most difficult.
In Philippians 2:3-8 Paul explains how Jesus is the ultimate example of humility. As you deal with one another, you should think and act as Jesus did . . . He was humble and obeyed God completely. He did this even though it led to his death, (NIrV). As God’s Son, Jesus was equal with God, but instead of using that to His advantage, Jesus put us first and made a way for us to have a relationship with God.
Bottom Line: Put others first because Jesus put you first. When it comes to our interactions with others, we should remember what Jesus did for us. Rather than thinking we’re the best or deserve the most, we should remember that Jesus deserved everything but gave it up because He loved us so much. When we put others first, we show them a glimpse of what Jesus did for the entire world.
Week Four (April 26)
More Than This
Bible Story: More Than This (On the Road to Emmaus) • Luke 24:13-35
Bottom Line: There’s always more to discover about God’s plan.
Key Question: What have you discovered about God that surprised you?
Memory Verse: Don’t do anything only to get ahead. Don’t do it because you are proud. Instead, be humble. Value others more than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (NIrV)
Life App: Humility—Putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve
Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.
Key Question: What have you discovered about God that surprised you? God is so big. We’ll never understand everything there is to know about Him. Thankfully, though, along the journey of faith, God allows us to discover more about Him through things we learn and experience. We want our preteens to discover that even though they might not know everything there is to know about God, they should still keep asking questions and learning more about Him and the plan He has for their lives.
In Luke 24:13-35, we find two followers of Jesus on their way to Emmaus. From what we read, it seems they were sad and confused by Jesus’ death on the cross. Little did they know that Jesus was walking with them. He explained how Jesus’ death was the answer to years of God’s promises to the Israelites. They were shocked when they realized that this person was Jesus. They ran back to Jerusalem to tell everyone about what they had just seen.
Bottom Line: There’s always more to discover about God’s plan. What we help kids understand about God is important. We get to lay a foundation of faith that will set them up to keep learning about God as they grow and mature in their faith. We pray that kids discover that, through Jesus, God has a unique plan for their life and as they follow Him, they’ll start to see where that plan will take them.