DAY 1 Jesus gives us hope.
Prophets foretell the light of the world.
(John 1:1-34; Isaiah 9:2)
As You Read, Keep in Mind…
J Throughout the Bible, God sent prophets to
foretell future events, especially in proclaiming
the coming Messiah. These claims would be
nothing unless they had actually come true.
Imagine someone today trying to make a
prediction that would come true over 700 years
from now. How amazing that more than 700
years in advance, prophets like Isaiah foretold
about Jesus as the light of the world! Jesus
fulfilled all of these prophecies exactly. Only
God can fulfill promises like that!
J Think of John the Baptist’s role like a preview
before the movie, announcing that Jesus was
coming soon. John the Baptist knew that he
himself was not the “feature film,” but rather
“he was simply a witness to tell about the light”
(John 1:8). Jesus is the true light of the world—
the main event!
J Hope is confident patience that God will carry out what he has promised. Although
they struggled to have “confident patience,” God’s people definitely hoped that the
promise of a Messiah would come true, and it did! We can have hope that God will
fulfill his promises made in the Bible to us, just like he fulfilled his promises then.
Why It Matters…
Kids today can feel hopeless in the troubles they face and those they see around
them in the news and other social media. They may not understand why a good friend
has to move away, why pets get sick, or why loved ones die. Wars, pollution, and even
natural disasters can make kids feel hopeless. No matter how dark life seems, Jesus
is the source of light and hope for our world today! Jesus gives us hope that God
loves us enough to give his greatest gift—and is still in control when the world seems
to be in chaos. Shine God’s light to the kids at your VBS today with a bright smile and
encouraging words of hope!
Key Verse: “O Lord, you alone are my hope.” (Psalm 71:5)
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Introduce the Bible Point
Say: Today we’re going to learn that Jesus gives us hope.
Jesus is God’s special Son, who lived on earth a long, long
time ago. “Hope” means that you excitedly look forward
to something. Jesus gives us something exciting and
wonderful to look forward to! I love Jesus, and I know
Jesus loves me, too! Jesus loves you (point to a child) and
you (point to another child), you (point to another child)...
and all of you! We want to learn about Jesus, be his friend,
and follow him!
When you hear someone say “Jesus gives us hope,” you’ll
shout “follow him!” That reminds us to stick close to Jesus
and go the way he’s going! When you say “follow him,”
hold your pointer finger up in the air, like you’re holding
up a light. That’ll help remind us that Jesus is a light for
the whole world. Let’s practice: Jesus gives us hope!
(Follow him!)
Let’s hear an awesome story from the Bible about some
people who knew how amazing Jesus was…even before they
met him!
Tell About the Sad Israelites
Show children your Bible. Tell children that the story
they’re going to hear is from the Bible, which means
that it’s true.
Say: The Bible tells us about God’s special people, called
the Israelites. They lived a long, long, looong time
ago! The Israelites loved and followed God…most of
the time. But sometimes they disobeyed. Ask:
“Follow him!”
Supplies
J
J
J
J
Bible
tape
small gift box
black paper to wrap
gift box
J 2 different colors of
shiny wrapping paper
J photocopy of picture
of Jesus, p. 12
What happens when you disobey your mommy
or daddy?
Well, the Israelites disobeyed and got into some
trouble. Times got very hard and sad for them. Show
me your saddest face. Show your sad face, too!
Hold up the wrapped black box. A mean king came
and made them leave their homes. He didn’t let them
follow God the way they wanted. Sometimes when times
are hard, we say those times are dark—even though the
sun is shining. It means our hearts feel dark and sad. This
box reminds me of the hard, sad, dark time God’s people
went through.
During that time, God sent a good message to a man
named Isaiah. God told Isaiah to tell the sad Israelites
that it wouldn’t be sad and dark forever. God said, “A light
will shine!”
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Tear off a small piece of the black paper, revealing the
colorful paper underneath. Pass the box around, and let
each child tear off a piece of the black paper. Each time a
child tears off some of the black paper, lead kids in saying
“A light will shine!” By the time the box comes back to you, it
should be free of black paper. Set the box in front of you.
Point out that this box is pretty but it’s still wrapped—so we
still have to wait for the light.
Tell About John the Baptist
Ask:
ow do you think the Israelites felt when they heard
H
that a light would shine?
Say: I imagine that the Israelites were happy and hopeful. They
probably couldn’t wait for things to get better! But they
didn’t know when this good thing would happen. In fact, a
long, long, looong time passed…and things were still hard.
The Israelites wanted a kind and loving king—one who
followed God. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s really
hard to wait for something good to happen! Let’s talk about
this with our friends.
Have your kids form a tight knee-to-knee circle. When
everyone is circled up, ask:
When is it hard for you to wait?
Allow about a minute or two for kids to talk, then take a
few responses.
Years and years and years went by. After a long time, God
sent a man named John to tell people again that the light
was coming! John said, “Someone great is coming! He will
be the light, and he will help us!”
Tear off a small piece of the next layer of paper, and
pass the box around again, letting preschoolers
each tear off a strip. Each time a child tears off a
section, lead them in saying “The light is coming!”
When the box comes back to you, set it in front of
you. Point out that it looks like we still have to wait!
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Reveal the Surprise Inside
Say: People wondered if John was the light—the leader and
helper God had promised. But John said, “Someone is
coming after me who is even greater than I am!” The people
were curious and excited to see who God would send! Well,
they didn’t have to wait quite as long this time. Let’s peel
off the last layer of paper. When it’s all off, I’ll open the box
to see what’s inside!
Pass the box around, and let preschoolers take turns taking
off pieces of the paper. When the unwrapped box comes
back to you, hold it.
I’m so excited! Can you imagine how excited the Israelites
were? They’d lived in sadness for so long. They had waited
years and years and years! They were so hopeful and eager
to see who God would send!
Open the box, and show children the picture of Jesus. Jesus
wasn’t just a special person—Jesus was God’s very own
Son! Jesus was the best gift of all! Jesus is the light of
the world.
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Permission to photocopy this resource from Group’s Cave Quest VBS granted for local church use. Copyright © 2016
Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, CO. group.com/vbs]
Supplies
J G
eode Gems*
(1 per child)
J h
ammers (2 per Crew)
J m
en’s tube socks or
12-inch squares of
heavy plastic (1 per
child per rotation)
J child-safe magnifying
glasses (1 or 2 per Crew)
J resealable plastic bags
(1 per child)
J permanent markers for
writing names on bags
I m a gi
O p ti o n
atio n
Day 1
tio n
St
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Option 1: GEODE GEMS
Hold up an unbroken geode, and ask children if they think
there’s anything special about this rock.
Say: Today we’re learning that Jesus gives us hope. (Follow
him!) Hope makes us feel happy or excited inside because
we believe something good could happen. Believe it or not,
there’s something incredible inside this plain, ordinarylooking rock! Let’s find out what it is.
1. H
and each child a geode and a sock or a piece of heavyduty plastic material. Have kids put their geode into the
sock or wrap it in the plastic. This keeps all the pieces
together.
2. Demonstrate how to hit the wrapped geode with the
hammer—being sure not to swing the hammer overhead—
until you hear the geode break.
3. Help preschoolers break their geodes and then pour out
the pieces of the geode into their resealable bags.
4. Encourage children to use the magnifying glasses to
inspect the geodes, paying close attention to the inside
of the rocks. Point out that there are sparkly crystals
inside the rock!
Say: Jesus’ hope lives inside us—sort of like these sparkly
crystals are inside the rock. Hope means we trust that
good things will happen, even when life is hard. I’m glad
that Jesus gives us hope! (Follow him!)
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Option 2: Cave Spelunker Helmet
We will make cave spelunker helmets with lights out of construction
paper!
1. You will need three 2" wide strips and one circle for each child out of
yellow. The circles will be the headlamps.
2. Staple or tape two of the long strips together to make a band to fit
around the child’s head.
3.Then staple a band perpendicular to the other from front to back to
go over the child’s head.
4. Finally staple the headlamp on the front. Cave Spelunker Helmet
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Day 1
Supplies
J p
arachute*
J S
ing & Play Rock
Music CD*
J CD player
*available from Group
Publishing or your Group
VBS supplier
Field Test finding
As preschoolers arrive,
ask them to “look at the
parachute with your eyes,
not your hands” while you
give the game instructions.
At our field test, kids
instantly picked up the
parachute and started
playing, making it hard
for everyone to hear the
game instructions.
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Option 3: PARACHUTE PRAISE
Lay the parachute flat on the ground. When kids arrive, have
everyone gather around the parachute.
Say: This parachute is flat and still. Sometimes our hearts
feel low, flat, and still if we’re sad. We need hope to fill us
up! In the Bible, it says, “O Lord, you alone are my hope.”
Hope means that we expect something good or we believe
that God’s way is best. Hope can fill us up with joy! Let’s
celebrate how Jesus fills our hearts with hope and joy!
ave children pick up the parachute and hold it at
1. H
waist level.
ead preschoolers in walking in a circle while they hold
2. L
the edges of the parachute, singing this song to the tune
of “London Bridge”:
Only Jesus gives us hope,
Gives us hope, gives us hope.
Only Jesus gives us hope.
Thank you, Jesus!
hen you sing “Thank you, Jesus,” lead kids in lifting
3. W
the parachute high, ducking under it, and quickly sitting
on the edges. This creates a “bubble” with preschoolers
inside! Point out that hope lifts our hearts and makes us
feel happy.