COCOA PEBBLES

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LESSON SNAPSHOT BOTTOM LINE: Jesus can transform our lives. OBJECTIVE: Kids will learn how Jesus can change their lives. KEY PASSAGE: John 5:1-15, The Healing at the Pool MEMORY VERSE: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” -Psalm 34:8 (NIV) SUMMARY: Cocoa Pebbles transforms that plain old milk into chocolatey goodness. Kids will learn that Jesus is in the business of transforming lives. SIMPLE PRAYER: Dear God, Thank you for Jesus, and for your amazing power. Transform us so we can live like Jesus and change the world around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen

CEREAL: COCOA PEBBLES

MEMORY VERSE “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” -Psalm 34:8 (NIV) “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the person who goes to him for safety.” - Psalm 34:8 (NIRV) LARGE GROUP: Have the kids read the verse together. Read it normally, then in a whisper, then really, really loud! SMALL GROUP: Give all the kids a Bible. Then, after you read the verse, give them the reference and see who can find it first in their Bible.

CEREAL: COCOA PEBBLES

SKIT SO CHOCOLATEY! ITEMS NEEDED: A table, Cocoa Pebbles, a bowl, milk CHARACTER BREAKDOWN: 1M/2F CHARACTERS: Mel- Cereal salesman Tiff and Jess- Best friends Mel is on stage at the table with the cereal. Tiff and Jess enter. MEL: Hi, I’m Mel from Mel’s Cereal Palace! Looking for a new and exciting way to start your day in a balanced breakfast-y way? Come on down to Mel’s Cereal Palace and check out the amazing variety of breakfast cereals today! JESS: We need cereal! TIFF: But I want chocolate milk! JESS: We don’t need chocolate milk! TIFF: But I want chocolate milk! MEL: Hello there, ladies! Welcome to Mel’s Cereal Palace. Can I interest you in some cereal? TIFF: No! JESS: Yes!

CEREAL: COCOA PEBBLES

SKIT TIFF: No! JESS: Yes! MEL: Say, sounds like we have a problem here. JESS: My friend here thinks she needs chocolate milk. TIFF: And my friend is determined to get cereal instead. MEL: So one of you wants chocolate milk? TIFF: Yes! MEL: And the other wants cereal? JESS: Yes! MEL: What if I told you you could have both? JESS/TIFF: What?? MEL: You can have both with one box of Cocoa Pebbles! Cocoa Pebbles is one of the richest, chocolatey-est cereals on the market. It’s tasty, and it’s good for you. And that’s not all! After just a few minutes of soaking in milk, Cocoa Pebbles will actually turn that milk into chocolate milk! (his voice changes - speaking profoundly instead of like a salesman) It’s almost divine, like the way Jesus transforms us form sinful people into holy people when we invite him into our lives. TIFF: What was that? MEL: What was what? TIFF: Skip it. JESS: So what you’re telling me is I can have my cereal, and she can have her chocolate milk, all in one cereal box? MEL: Uh huh! TIFF: Jess, I think we found your cereal. JESS: No, we just found your chocolate milk.

CEREAL: COCOA PEBBLES

OBJECT LESSON OR KIDS SERMON ITEMS NEEDED: Cocoa Pebbles, chocolate syrup, a bowl of milk, a glass of milk, two spoons Begin the lesson with an experiment. Pick two students. Have one pour cereal into the bowl. Have the other pour chocolate syrup into the glass. Have the kids stir the bowl and the glass. Which one creates chocolate milk the fastest? Chocolate cereal may not be the fastest way to get chocolate milk, but it’s effective. By the time you finish eating the cereal, your milk has had plenty of time to soak up that chocolatey goodness, giving you a cool, refreshing, chocolate treat to finish your breakfast. Cocoa Pebbles aren’t the only cereal that will transform your milk. Cocoa Puffs will do the same thing. So will Count Chocula. Frankenberry will give you strawberry milk, and if you’ve ever wanted to try the blue milk Luke Skywalker drinks in Star Wars, you can enjoy a bowl of Booberry. Today we read how Jesus can transform lives. When we invite Jesus into our hearts, he makes us something new. He takes our sinful hearts and he changes us. He begins the slow, gradual transformation of remaking us in his image. It takes time for cereal to become chocolate milk. It takes much longer for Jesus to transform us. But the change Jesus brings lasts a lot longer than a bowl of chocolate milk. It lasts forever.

CEREAL: COCOA PEBBLES

LARGE GROUP GAME COCOA CHEEKS ITEMS NEEDED: Cocoa Pebbles, Vaseline INSTRUCTIONS: Spread some Cocoa Pebbles on a table. Choose two players and rub Vaseline on their faces. Both players will have 30 seconds to roll their faces across the table and try to pick up as many Cocoa Pebbles as they can. The person who covers his face in the most chocolate wins. VARIATION: Have each contestant put on a pair of safety goggles before applying the Vaseline. Assign each contestant a partner, whose job it is to toss the Cocoa Pebbles at his partner’s face. The team to get the most Cocoa Pebbles to stick wins. WHAT’S THE POINT? Chocolate cereals transform ordinary milk into chocolate milk. Jesus transforms ordinary hearts into something greater.

CEREAL: COCOA PEBBLES

LARGE GROUP LESSON BOTTOM LINE: Jesus can transform our lives. OBJECTIVE: Kids will learn how Jesus can change their lives. KEY PASSAGE: John 5:1-15, The Healing at the Pool INTRO A couple of years ago, the cereal company Post asked people to make a choice. Are you Team Fruity? Or are you Team Cocoa? Does anyone remember what that meant? Team Fruity was anyone who preferred Fruity Pebbles over Cocoa Pebbles. Likewise, Team Cocoa referred to anyone who preferred Cocoa Pebbles over Fruity Pebbles. It’s not as divisive or important a distinction as say, Republicans and Democrats, but it was a fun way to promote two very fun, very sweet cereals. Fans of Fruity Pebbles will tell you that they are crispy and fruity in flavor, like a cross between Fruit Loops and Rice Krispies. Not a bad combination, right? But Fruity Pebbles leaves you with an odd-colored milk in the end. It’s pretty sugary, and it’s not really all that fruity. That’s where Cocoa Pebbles wins a number of its fans. You see, Cocoa Pebbles transforms your milk not into a colored, fruity mess, but into something wonderful. It changes it into chocolate milk! When you eat Cocoa Pebbles, you’re not only getting a delicious bowl of cereal, you are getting a dessert drink to finish your meal. A special treat! Cocoa Pebbles gives us a visual reminder of how Jesus can change our lives. When we believe in Jesus, he comes into our hearts and begins a slow, gradual process of transforming us. Every day we spend with God, we become more and more like Jesus.

CEREAL: COCOA PEBBLES

LARGE GROUP LESSON In today’s scripture Jesus encounters a man looking for change. He has come to a certain place hoping to find that change. Instead, he meets Jesus, and Jesus transforms him in a way he never imagined possible. READ JOHN 5:1-15 MAIN POINT The pool of Bethesda was believed to have miraculous healing powers. The people who came to the pool watched for the waters to be moved. They believed that if an angel touched the waters, anyone who could get into the water would be healed. The man Jesus spoke to was so crippled, he could not get into the pool. He didn’t have anyone to help him. He was so close to the change he wanted, but he was helpless to get there. The man didn’t need help into the pool. All he needed was Jesus. Jesus healed the man and made him able to pick up his own cot and walk away. With one word, Jesus transformed him and gave him new life. That’s the power of Jesus, the power that can change your life and mine. DRIVE IT HOME Each one of us was born with a flaw. We all have a sinful, rebellious heart. That rebellious heart is the reason we gossip, fight with our siblings, argue with our parents, and act selfishly. Sin separated us from God, who is perfect. It broke God’s heart when we sinned, and God made a plan to reunite us. He sent his son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. Jesus died and rose from the grave, giving him the power to not only forgive our sins but give us a new life. When we give our life to Jesus, he gives us his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Christ’s presence in our hearts. The Holy Spirit speaks to us, teaching us how to be less selfish and live more like Jesus. It doesn’t happen in an instant. It takes time, just like the milk in our chocolate cereal. But the more we soak in God’s presence, the more we become like Jesus. Cocoa Pebbles is a fun cereal that transforms milk into something greater. But Jesus gives us an even greater change. That change will last not only for our lifetime, but for eternity. If you’re ready for that change, talk to your parents or small group leader today about accepting Jesus. Invite him into your heart, and let the transformation of a lifetime begin.

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LARGE GROUP LESSON CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER Dear God, Thank you for Jesus, and for your amazing power. Transform us so we can live like Jesus and change the world around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen

CEREAL: COCOA PEBBLES

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND) ICEBREAKER Are you Team Fruity or Team Cocoa? MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY Psalm 34:8 Give all the kids a Bible. Then, after you read the verse, give them the reference and see who can find it first in their Bible. SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY Set a hula hoop on the ground. Give each kid the name of a cartoon or movie character. Have them take turns stepping into the hula hoop and “transforming” into that character. Who can do the best impression of their character? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Read John 5:1-15 Who was waiting by the pool near the Sheep Gate? Why were those people waiting by the pool? Who stopped to talk to the disabled man? What did Jesus say to the man? How did Jesus transform the man? SIMPLE PRAYER Dear God, Change our lives like you changed the lives of everyone you met. Give us new life here on Earth and in Heaven. In Jesus’ name, Amen

CEREAL: COCOA PEBBLES

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3-5TH) ICEBREAKER Are you Team Fruity or Team Cocoa? MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY Psalm 34:8 Give all the kids a Bible. Then, after you read the verse, give them the reference and see who can find it first in their Bible. SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY Set a hula hoop on the ground. Give each kid the name of a cartoon or movie character. Have them take turns stepping into the hula hoop and “transforming” into that character. Who can do the best impression of their character? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Read John 5:1-15 Why were so many people waiting by the pool of Bethesda? What did Jesus say to the man? How did Jesus transform the man? How does Jesus transform our lives? How can we invite Jesus into our hearts? SIMPLE PRAYER Dear God, Change our lives like you changed the lives of everyone you met. Give us new life here on Earth and in Heaven. In Jesus’ name, Amen

CEREAL: COCOA PEBBLES

POWERPOINT REVIEW GAME True or False. The pool of Bethesda was located near the Sheep Gate. TRUE People believed that if an angel stirred the waters, they could be healed. TRUE The man who talked to Jesus was blind. FALSE Jesus told the man to dip in the waters to be healed. FALSE Jesus can transform our lives as well. TRUE

CEREAL: COCOA PEBBLES

5 Simple Ways You Can Make This Lesson Stick With Your Kids

THIS WEEK’S LESSON: COCOA PEBBLES IN THE CAR: Ask your child what they learned about this week on the drive home: Cocoa Pebbles transform that plain old milk into chocolatey goodness. Kids will learn that Jesus is in the business of transforming lives. John 5:1-15, The Healing at the Pool HANGING OUT: Make this week’s lesson real: Make some chocolate milk with the kids this week. Talk about the way the milk is transformed into something new, and compare that with how Jesus can transform our lives. AT DINNER: Here are some great discussion starters: - Whom did Jesus meet at the pool near the Sheep Gate? - How did Jesus transform that man? - How can Jesus transform our lives? AT BEDTIME: Quiz your child on this week’s memory verse: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” -Psalm 34:8 (NIV) PARENT TIME: What you need to know: The transformation Jesus does in our lives takes time. It takes our whole lives. Ask God to continue the work he has begun in you, and pray that God will begin that work in your children’s lives.

CEREAL: COCOA PEBBLES

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” -Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” -Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” -Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” -Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

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CRAFT ACTIVITY Have the kids make before/after drawings of themselves. Have them draw themselves before Jesus, and then after, showing the transformation God makes in our lives. As an alternate, have them draw the man at the pool of Bethesda, before and after.

CEREAL: COCOA PEBBLES