Fruit of the Spirit - Joy
Game Workshop Sketch
Week 3
Summary: Play 3 Games - Orange Game, Freeze Sculptor Game, and What Makes You Happy Game.
Supplies: 3 Oranges, VeggieTales CD “25 Favorite Sunday School Songs”, a bell, church flyer of summer events (if you have one), Joy Sticker*, Joy Journal Page, Joy Sticker*.
Lesson
Game #1: Juicy Joy Orange
Have families make 3 circles. (If not many people, then 2 circles.) Give each circle an orange. Play the song on the CD called “I’ve got the Joy” (Down in My Heart) by Veggie Tales. Tell them they’ll be playing “Juicy Joy Orange” like Hot Potato. Start passing the orange around the circle, when you stop the music, the person with the orange should say something that makes them joyful. Then restart the music and continue.
Game #2: Joy Freeze Sculptor
Have each family work together. If there are children without parents present, put them in a family group.
Say: I want you to create a statue. Choose one person in your family group to be the sculptor. The others are the clay. The sculptor has been chosen, The sculptor will create a statue called JOY. The only catch is that the sculptor may not touch the clay in any way. The sculptor may only use words to explain to the clay how to pose. Ready, go!
After a short time, tell everyone to FREEZE! Go to each family and have the sculptor explain their creation while other families watch and listen.
Game #3: What Makes You Happy
Have everyone get back in their circle group from the Orange game and sit down.
Say: Our story today is about a very joyful event. At the time, everyone agreed that it was the most joyful ting that had ever happened and that ever would happen. Even today everyone agrees. Everybody likes to be joyful and happy. But not everyone agrees on what makes us joyful and happy.
Everyone in your group in this game must agree on one thing that makes all of you happy. If for example I said, “What makes you happy at school?”, then your group must find an answer you all agree on. If even one person doesn’t agree, you must find another answer. It’s not going to be as easy as it sounds. When your team agrees, send one person to the podium to ring the bell.
Situation #1 - what makes you happy in the summer?
Situation #2 – what makes you happy at church?
Situation #3 - what makes you happy on your birthday?
Situation #4 - what makes you happy in the mornings?
When the first person comes up to ring the bell, repeat the question again and have them tell what they agreed on. Then that situation question is done and you may ask the next question for them to agree on.
After the last question, say:
See, some things are hard to agree on! But can you guess what the story everyone agrees that is the most joyful? It’s the story of Jesus’ resurrection … what we celebrate as Easter!
When Mary and the other women went to the tomb that morning, they got a big surprise! They went in sadness, ready to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. But instead they found an angel who told them that Jesus was alive! Mary and the others couldn’t keep the news to themselves, they had to hurry and tell the others. They ran all the way! We, too, as followers of Jesus should share the joy of Jesus’ resurrection and his love for us with others.
Journal
Hand out Joy Journal Page. Discuss some practical ideas within your family that you could share the joy with others. Decide on one thing your family will do this week to share the joy.
Distribute a copy of the Family LIGHT summer flyer (substitute a summer flyer from your church) and tell them that one way they can share the joy is by inviting others to church!
Hand out a Joy Sticker to each family if they have not received one yet to go on their cover page.
Fruit of the Spirit - Joy
Art Workshop Sketch
Week 3
Summary: Each family will make a Joy Jar, then look up Scripture references provided in their bibles and then they will print those scriptures onto paper and insert into their Joy Jar.
Supplies: Newspaper, verse List (you need to compile a list of scripture references on JOY – not provided in lesson), jars, beads, elastic, bibles, paper, scissors and pencils.
Lesson
Show a newspaper and ask: What is a newspaper for? (to report the news)
Pass out a section of newspaper to each family. Say: Newspapers report both good news and bad news. Find a GOOD news article and read it with your family.
Say: I wonder what it would be like if there were only good news allowed in the newspaper? I wonder what would happen if there were only good things that happened in the world? What would newspapers look like then?
Activity: Joy Jars
Ask: As Christians we have GOOD NEWS … what is it? When we are followers of Jesus, we can’t help but feel the JOY of knowing that Jesus lives! The Bible is filled with verses that reassure us and fill us with joy. We’re going to make Joy Jars for our families to keep in a special place that will remind us that we are special to God and that God wants us to have JOY!
Show sample, explain what it is, and explain process.
Ask: Do you ever have bad news in your family? Do you ever feel sad? The Bible can point us to joy! Guess how many times the word JOY can be found in the Bible …. Over 190 times!
Here is a list of some of those verses for you to look up and put in your family Joy Jar. When you’re feeling sad and need some joy, pull a verse out and talk about it. Or maybe once a week you’ll want to take out a verse and read the whole story around it. When you focus on the joy of being a child of God, you can’t be sad!
Say: Here’s one verse from a psalm that speaks of joy (also on the Joy Journal page): Shout to the LORD, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for JOY! Psalm 98:4
Tell them that after they finish, they can write their own Psalm on the journal page – or write it at home if they run out of time.
Process: Assign different jobs to family members. Each person should do some of each.
String beads on the pre-cut pieces of elastic. Leave a space at each end for tying. Place it around the jar.
Use markers to write their family name or individual names on the lid.
A list of references (teacher as previously compiled), Bibles, paper, scissors and pencils will be distributed. They should look up the references, copy it onto a small section of paper, cut it out, fold it and place it in the Joy Jar.
Closing
If they finish early tell them to work on writing their joy psalm.
Hand out a Joy Sticker to each family if they have not received one yet to go on their cover page.
Jan @ First Presbyterian Church, Napa CA
Some ideas adapted from Abingdon Press, Bible Zone, Fruit of the Spirit
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