Doubting Thomas

Art Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Students will create a cellophane covered picture of Jesus to illustrate "seeing" Jesus.

Scripture Reference:

John 20:19-31

Key Scripture Verses:

John 20:29b Jesus said “The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are truly blessed.” (Contemporary English Version)

Memory Verse:
“Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 CEV

Concepts:

• Jesus is alive.
• Even though we have not seen Jesus, we can believe in him.
• Jesus helps us to have faith.

Lesson Objectives:

1. Learn that after Jesus’ death his followers found it hard to believe that he was alive again (resurrected).
2. Understand that when the disciple Thomas wanted proof that Jesus was alive, Jesus, instead of becoming angry, told Thomas to have faith.
3. Know that Thomas recognized Jesus as Lord and God.
4. Children will create a picture where Jesus is there even when he cannot be seen.

Teacher preparation in advance:

• Practice reading the Bible story with expression.
• Prepare an opening prayer in case nobody volunteers to pray.
• Follow the directions in the lesson to make a sample project.
• Prepare all the materials you will need for the creation process. Have the materials ready to go. There will be limited time for the creation process, so do everything you can to conserve time.
• Decide how you want to close the lesson. Prepare a prayer or use one of the group suggestions.

Materials:

• Sample
• Colored Markers (remove yellow)
• Yellow highlighters
• Yellow cellophane cut to 6” x 9” (or whatever colored cellophane you have, just use that same color marker for Jesus example: Red Cellphone–Red Jesus).
• 6” X 9” drawing paper
• White glue

Lesson Plan

Opening:
Welcome the children and introduce yourself. Wear your nametag. Make sure the children are wearing name tags. If not, ask the shepherd to supply a temporary badge. Remember you are interacting with a different group of students each week who may not know you.

Start the “lesson time” with prayer. Ask for volunteers, but plan on praying yourself. A short prayer asking God to help us to grow in faith and to be good disciples would be appropriate.

Read the Bible Story:

Read the Bible story (below) with expression. Remind them that although Thomas had doubts, Jesus, loving like God is, did not become angry or insulted. Instead, he said that the ones who are truly blessed are the ones who have faith without actually seeing. Jesus was not a ghost – he was real and could be touched.

• Thomas was originally a fisherman. After meeting Jesus he became one of the original disciples – a devoted follower. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, Thomas became an apostle – sent by God to spread Jesus’ teaching of the word in many foreign lands.
• Do you remember the Easter Resurrection lesson? Several of the disciples, men and women, were surprised to learn that Jesus’ body was not in the tomb. They were even more surprised when they met Jesus and saw that he was alive.
• Thomas was not with the others when Jesus appeared to the disciples. So they told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But Thomas said, “First I must see the nail scars in his hand and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won’t believe unless I do this!”
• A week later the disciples were together again. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came in when the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples and said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!”
• Thomas replied, “You are my Lord and my God!” Jesus said, “Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are truly blessed!”

Discuss: Take a minute to talk to the children about the creation they are going to be doing in this workshop. Tell them that they will be creating a picture to remind us that just because we can’t see Jesus does not mean that he is not there.

Ask: Where is Jesus? When you look around you, where do you see Jesus? (in everything that is good, in kind words and acts, in good choices, in the people who are poor or hungry or frightened, Jesus is in our hearts to calm us when we are frightened ,in the sanctuary and in Faith Quest, etc.) Brainstorm more ideas about where they can find Jesus.

CREATE!

Pass out sheets of 6” X 9” drawing paper. Each child should print his or her name on the back. Give each child a yellow highlighter.

Say:  First, let's draw a picture of Jesus. Use the yellow marker. Remember, Jesus was in the room with the disciples. What do you think he looked like? Draw him and then we will add the disciples later.

When they are finished, collect all the yellow markers.

Say: Now let's add the disciples.  Pick one color and decide which disciple you will draw with that color.

Continue adding disciples, making each disciple a different color.

Show kids the sample that you made.

Say: Here are Jesus’ disciples – maybe Mary or Martha, Thomas, John, Peter, James.

Ask: Can you see Jesus?

Lift the cellophane and show them that Jesus is there.

Say: We may not be able to see Jesus, but we know he is here.  Glue the yellow cellophane on your paper to show that Jesus is here, even when we do not see him.

Pass out precut pieces of yellow cellophane. Show them how to run a bead of glue along the top edge of their paper and press the edge of the cellophane to the glue. Encourage them to practice carefully lifting the sheet to find Jesus.


Reflection Time:

Ask the shepherds to pass out Journals and pencils/markers. The children should spend a few minutes reflecting upon the morning's lesson – Do we have to see God to believe in him? Where can we find answers about God and what God wants us to do? (pray to God, asking parents and teachers) Why did Thomas have trouble believing? (he hadn’t seen Jesus) What did Jesus tell him? How did the disciples’ faith change their lives? (some became apostles, spreading the message of Jesus).

Closing:

Encourage the children to think about believing, trusting and praying to God when we have doubts.

Say the Key Memory Verse together (see above). You may want to have this verse printed on a banner and hung in the room, write it on the white board in the room, or have it on slips of paper that each child can take home.

Pray! Ask the children if they have any prayer requests. Tell God that we have questions in our hearts. Ask Him to forgive us for not always trusting and to help us grow in faith. Thank God for sending Jesus to us to show us the way.

A lesson from Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church. Updated by a member of the Rotation.org Content Team.

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Doubting Thomas

Video Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Uses Nest Entertainment's He is Risen.

Scripture Reference:

John 20:19-31

Memory Verse:
“Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 CEV

Concepts:

1. Jesus is alive.
2. Jesus is our Lord and our God.
3. Even though we have not seen Jesus, we can believe in him.
4. It’s normal to have doubts, but you can ask for help.
5. Jesus helps us to have faith.

Lesson Objectives:

1. Discuss the concept of seeing is believing.
2. Children will view the video “He is Risen” and answer questions.
3. Children will identify ideas of where to go with their doubts.
4. Children will draw a picture to depict many places where we see Jesus is alive.

Teacher preparation in advance:

• Prepare the questions on flip chart paper and on individual pieces of paper (older kids)
• Preview the video and have it cued to the correct starting.

Supply List:

• Journal sheets,
• markers,
• crayons
• Video: Nest Entertainment: He is Risen , Irving Texas
• Flip chart paper and masking tape
• Paper bag with simple objects: spoon, ball, glove, book, pencil.
• Memory verse (see below)
• Questions prepared on chart paper and pieces of paper.

Lesson Plan

Opening:
Greet the children and introduce yourself.

1. Hold up a simple object (such as a fork or a book or a watch) from a bag. Ask the children: What is this? (The children should answer correctly) Are you sure? How do you know? (I can see it)
   That is just one way in which we decide if something is true. We see it for ourselves.
   
   
2. Ask for a volunteer. Without showing the rest of the class, show the volunteer another object in the bag. Then ask the volunteer to tell the class what it is. Do you believe him/her? Mostly the answer will be yes. Describe the volunteer as a witness who saw the object and then told the others about it. Is a witness always reliable (No) Why would you believe a witness? (The kids will have suggestions that are all fine. Trustworthiness, reliable witness, believable object - a horse could not be in the bag!)
   
   
3. Ask for 3 more volunteers. Show them another object without taking it from the bag. Ask each child to tell the class what the object is. (All 3 should answer correctly) Does it make it easier to believe something if more people see the same thing? (yes) Why? (Odds are higher that something is true if more people witness the same thing) Can you ALWAYS believe when people are saying the same thing? (No, think of how magic acts can fool lots of people, or several witness to an accident see different things about the scene)
   
   
4. The word “doubt” means that you aren’t sure that something is true. Is it OK to have doubts? Yes. You don’t want to be fooled! Later we will talk about our doubts and what to do about them.
   
   Today’s story is about a man named Thomas who had doubts that Jesus is alive.

Video Time:

1. On the board or chart paper present the prepared list of questions (see the end of the lesson) and assign them to the students. The kids are to watch for the answers in the video. OR Older kids: after reading the questions so all can hear, hand out the individual questions on pieces of paper to the kids. Younger kids: create a subset of the easier questions.
   
   You can get creative in the assignments: everyone with blue eyes answers the first question. Everyone with a birthday in September and October answer the next question, and so on. (Other ideas: everyone with lace up shoes, everyone with something in your hair, everyone whose last name begins with the letter B or S)
   
   
2. Distribute popcorn with help from Shepherds or volunteer children.
3. Watch Video: The video begins with Jesus dying on the cross. This video is approximately 20 minutes long. Have it cued to just after the credits. Stop it at the end of the Doubting Thomas scene. Explain to the children that the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) tell different parts of the story about Jesus’ resurrection. The story about Thomas comes from John only but this video combines all the stories together and so may seem a little different than the scripture lesson.

Discussion:

Review the questions and ask each assigned group or child for their answer. Older kids can read the question and then give their answer.

Here are some additional discussion questions:

• Was Jesus mad that the disciples didn’t believe or that Thomas didn’t believe? (no) Jesus offered to help them believe. Therefore, can we expect Jesus to help us believe? (yes)
• When Thomas recognized Jesus, he confessed, “My Lord and my God.” Ask the children to repeat this confession. “My Lord and my God.”

I wonder what made Thomas believe that Jesus was God? (Ordinary men don’t come back to life. He had to be God to do that. Maybe all that Jesus told the disciples suddenly made sense. Jesus is a reliable source for what is true. Jesus told the disciples he would rise again after 3 days. If that was true, maybe all the other teachings were true and he is God.)

• What did Jesus say about the people who have not seen Jesus and yet believe? (They are blessed v. 29)

If someone didn’t believe in Jesus, what could that person do to find out the truth? Brainstorm ideas on how you would advise someone to find the truth about Jesus. (Go to church, talk with a trusted person – parent or minister or Faith Quest Shepherd or teacher, pray to Jesus for help, come to Faith Quest to learn about Jesus, read the Bible.)
Jesus helped the disciples to believe. Jesus can help us to believe. When we believe, we have faith that Jesus is God.

• Why is the Bible a good place to go to find out the truth?

Read v. 30-31 from the Bible: “Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life.” CEV

• Recite the memory verse: (see notes at the end of this lesson) “Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 CEV

Reflection Time:
Ask the shepherds to pass out the journal sheets.

If Jesus is alive, where is he? This exercise is like the picture puzzles in which you have to find the hidden objects. In this case, the objects to hide in the picture are a Jesus happy face.

Draw a picture. In this picture include yourself and as many things and people and places where we might find Jesus. Then use a little happy face or a J to identify all the places or people where Jesus is. Older kids might want to get subtle in their placement of a J in the picture so it is harder to find.

It might be helpful to create a list of where we find Jesus with the younger kids. (parents’ love, home, pets, doing something nice, teachers, making friends, homeless people, the poor and sick, a cozy bed, reading the Bible, etc.) Where is Jesus in your picture? Kids can put as many things or places to find Jesus as they can in their pictures. They can use symbol (hearts and crosses) or just about anything.

Have a contest to see who can include the most ideas or objects.

Ask the children to share their pictures with a parent and ask the parent to find all the J’s. They can identify all the places that Jesus lives.

Closing:
Prayer: Living Jesus, for whom no door is closed, no heart is locked. Help us with our doubts till we see you and touch your wounds where they bleed in other people. This we ask through Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Paraphrased and reprinted by permission from Book of Common Worship, copyright 1993 Westminster/John Knox Press.

Tidy and Dismissal: Ask children to help clean up popcorn as they wait for their parents to arrive.

Memory Verse:
Prepare the following versions of the memory verse on several sheets of paper to display for the children. As the children learn the memory verse they should be able to say it with fewer and fewer words displayed. After going through all the versions, see if they can say as a group. Then ask a volunteer or two to recite the verse for the group. Encourage the kids to be able to say it.

“Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1

“Faith makes us sure of what we ____ for and gives us _____ of what we cannot _____.” Hebrews 11:1

“_____ makes us _____ of what we ____ for and gives us _____ of what we cannot _____.” Hebrews 11:1

“_____ makes us _____ of __________ for and ___________ of what _______________.” _______ 11:1

“_________ us _____ of _____________ and ___________ of _____________________.” _______ __:__

Questions

Prepare these questions on flip chart paper OR on individual pieces of paper (older kids).

• Where were the disciples when Jesus died? (in a room, not at with Jesus)
• What did Joseph of Arimathea ask of Pontius Pilot? (he wanted to bury Jesus’ body)
• Who helped Joseph of Arimathea? What did he bring? (Nicodemus, spices)
• What did Jesus predict that made the chief priests and the other religious leaders afraid? (Jesus would be raised in 3 days)
• Why were the disciples afraid? (The Jewish leaders might be coming after them too)
• Why did the women go to the tomb? (to anoint Jesus’ body for burial)
• When the disciples got upset, what did they do to try and feel better (recite some of Jesus sayings and words)
• What did the angels tell the women? (He is risen. Go tell the others)
• When the women told the disciples that the body was gone, how did the disciples try to explain what happened? (that the body was stolen)
• What did Jesus tell Mary to do? (Tell the others)
• How did the disciples react when they first saw Jesus (surprised, amazed)
• What proof did Thomas want before he would believe? (To see and touch Jesus’ wounds)

A lesson posted by Catherine from: Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Doubting Thomas
Praising Puppets Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children will use the puppets to act out 4 skits portraying the bible lesson.

Scripture Reference:

John 20:19-31

Memory Verse:

“Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 CEV

Concepts:

• Even though we have not seen Jesus, we can believe in him.
• It’s normal to have doubts, but you can ask for help.
• Jesus helps us to have faith.

Lesson Objectives:
The objectives of this workshop are to teach the children about believing things without seeing them, about feeling comfortable with doubts, and about where to go with doubts and questions. Lastly, it lets the children know that God and Jesus are a big resource to help us with doubts and belief.

Teacher preparation in advance:

• Pray that God will guide you to teach what God wants taught during this workshop and scripture passage. Pray for a loving and patient attitude toward the children. Pray for time management during the workshop.
• Please practice reading the scripture passage out loud and with expression several times.
• Make at least 6 or 7 copies of each script. You can highlight one character in each skit.
• Make a poster of the memory verse to hang on the wall.
• Decide if you are going to pre-record the scripts on your phone.
• Prepare a closing prayer.

Supply List:

• Copies of the script
• Police Officer props (2-way radio, hat, badge, maybe dark shirt)
• Four puppets
• Phone that has a Voice Recorder App, if you pre-record the scripts
• Poster for memory verse

Lesson Plan

Opening:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your nametag. Make sure the children are wearing nametags. If not, ask the shepherd to supply a temporary badge. Remember you are interacting with a different group of students each week that may not know you.

Explain the purpose of this workshop:

Say: Today we will use puppets to learn about faith in God and Jesus. What is faith? (Answer should have something about believing.) Our memory verse gives us one definition of faith. Let’s all read or say it. (Refer to poster or handout.) “Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.” (Hebrews 11:1 CEV) Before we do puppets, we’re going to read the Bible story for today.

Bible Story:

Ask the children to open their Bibles, if they have them, to John 20:19. The workshop leader should prepare a reading with emphasis and energy and excitement as appropriate. Find the text with the kids and ask them to follow along. Set up the story in an animated way, then read with expression.

Warm-Up Discussion and Questions: This passage is from the book of John.

• Does anyone know in what part of the Bible we would find the book of John? New Testament
• John is one of four books that have a special name--does anyone know what they are called? Gospel
• And what does Gospel mean? Good News.
• Does anyone know what the other three Gospels are? Matthew, Mark, Luke.
• Who and what are the Gospels about? These books are about the life of Jesus and the good news that he died so our sins would be forgiven. Our passage today is about Thomas, who was one of the Twelve Apostles. It takes place very soon after Jesus died and was raised from the dead.

Read the Scripture Passage John 20:19-31 from the CEV :
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
2019 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Example of Discussion after the Passage:

• Why do you think that Jesus showed the disciples his hands and side? He wanted them to see his nail holes and the wound where Roman soldiers had pierced his side with a spear. This would prove to them that he was Jesus.
• I wonder why the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus just by looking in his face? He obviously looked different, probably because he had a new body, but one that still bore the scars of his death. At this point, which of the 12 disciples believed that Jesus was risen from the dead without seeing him? NONE! The others (women) had seen Jesus on the evening of that first day of the week.
• Who was not part of that group of disciples? Thomas Did he believe his friends, the other Apostles? No What did Jesus do for Thomas so that he would believe that he, Jesus, had risen? Exactly what Thomas asked—showed him the nail and spear marks. Did Thomas then believe, based on what he had seen? Yes Does that make you think that Thomas must have seen something very convincing—something that was true? Yes
• Since then, how many people have believed that Jesus rose from the dead without seeing the risen Jesus and his nail and spear marks? Millions of Christians have believed without seeing. Do you know what we call that kind of belief? Faith Why did Jesus come and show Thomas what he asked for? Many reasons—he wanted Thomas to believe and he wanted it written down. Verse 31 says, But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

(Don’t bring this up, but if anyone asks, Didymus means “twin.” Thomas was a twin.)

Puppet Application:

Note: There are 4 skits with 4 characters in each. You may have to repeat one or more of the skits to give everyone a chance to perform.

1. Divide the class into groups of 4 children for each skit.
2. Give out copies of the script to each child. The scripts can be highlighted for individual parts.
3. The puppets can already be out on a table. Let the children line up to choose a puppet. The puppets don’t have to match the parts they play.
4. You have several options about who can read the parts. You may pre-record the entire skit on a Phone with Voice Recorder App before Sunday. You can choose a narrator (use a shepherd or workshop leader) to read all the puppet parts while children act out with the puppets. Older children. You may also allow each child to read and act out his/her own puppet part after they have rehearsed their lines.
5. Allow the groups 5 minutes to practice their script. Space out all the adults in the room to help with the script practice. Grades 1&2: The shepherd and workshop leader should help with the scripts, perhaps even “speaking” the voices while the children act them out. If one child is uncomfortable with reading, and you have planned for children to speak their parts, one of the adults present can read the words for this child.
6. After each skit, have the puppet operators return to the audience to discuss what happened in the skit as a group. Apply the skit to the concepts being taught in this workshop. See suggested discussion questions below.
7. If you have to repeat a skit to give everyone a turn, you may hold the discussion until the last time you have repeated the skit.

Skit 1 Discussion Questions:

• In this skit, Sarah wanted to see the butterflies come out of cocoons for herself or she wouldn’t believe it really happened. Who does this remind you of in our Bible story? Thomas
• Was Sarah going to believe it if her friends told her it happened? She wasn’t really sure.
• How would you finish this sentence: Sarah did not seem to have much ______ in what her friends told her. faith
• Did Thomas believe his friends the disciples—did he have faith in what they said? No.
• What problems will you have if you have to see everything for yourself to believe it’s true? Might miss out on things, might not learn as much, might not know as much.
• Who did the teacher suggest you believe? honest people Who might you believe? parents, teachers, minister, good friends…

Skit 2 Discussion Questions:

• What is an eye witness? Someone who sees something and can tell about it.
• Were there any in this story? Not totally—each witness had seen a small part of what happened. The driver was probably the only one, and he wasn’t able to talk.
• The Police Office needed to find out what happened. What did he do? Probably lots of different answers (asked for eye witnesses, asked them questions, looked for how everything fit together, tried to figure out what had happened, what was true), but try to draw to conclusion that he had to believe, trust or have faith in what other people had seen.
• Did all the pieces make sense and fit together nicely? Yes
• When something is true, does it usually make sense? Yes
• Let’s think about how this is like the Thomas story. Was the Police Officer like Thomas? No, he didn’t have to see it for himself.
• Is it wrong to want to see things for yourself? No, but sometimes we just can’t.
• What if there had been another person there who told the Police Officer that he saw a man run away from the car. Police Officer would have figured out that it was not true. Remember that he was able to find out that the man was at the hospital.
• The truth fits in with other details. Usually a lie doesn’t make sense! What do you know is true in our Bible story? Jesus rose from the dead.
• Who are our eye witnesses? The Twelve Apostles, including Thomas, women and some other early Christians.
• How do we know what they saw? It is written in the Bible.

Skit 3 Discussion Questions:

• What was happening in this skit? Puppet didn’t understand something in the Bible. None of us were around to see the things happen that are in the Bible, and they happened a long time ago in another country where things were very different. Sometimes it is hard to understand without help.
• Where did the puppet go for help? Bible itself, Faith Quest teacher, parents, minister, to God through prayer. These are all people and places where you can go for help. Each of these people would love for you to ask them for help. In Faith Quest we try to make the Bible easier to understand and to make learning about it fun!

Skit 4 Discussion Questions:

• Who here believes the sun is going to come up before actually seeing it come up? Raise your hand too—we don’t want to start some mass panic!! Of course it is.
• How would you explain why you believe that it will if one of your friends asked you? Encourage at least a few to answer—anything is right. That’s the way some people are about their belief or faith in Jesus. They just accept that Jesus rose from the dead to get rid of our sins without seeing it happen, and they don’t really know how to explain why they believe it. Some believe it because it is in the Bible. Some believe it because they can feel it in their heart. This is the kind of faith that Jesus told Thomas would be blessed. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
• Did Jesus think it was wrong for Thomas to need to see him? No, Thomas said he needed to see him to believe and Jesus showed up for him. Jesus is like that—he gives us what we need to believe in him. If you don’t believe that Jesus died and was risen again, I encourage you to pray and ask for help believing this. And when you get an answer to this prayer, please share it with someone at FaithQuest—either a Shepherd or a Workshop Leader.

Wrap-up:

If you have time, you can review the concepts covered:

• Even though we have not seen Jesus, we can believe in him.
• It’s normal to have doubts, but you can ask for help.
• Jesus helps us to have faith

Reflection Time (This is a long lesson—you may not get to this):
Pass out the journal sheets and pencils/markers. Tell the older students to write down what they thought was the most interesting part of the workshop today or something they learned for the first time today. Tell the younger students (or stumped older students) to draw a picture of Thomas touching Jesus’ nail and spear marks. The workshop leader(s) and shepherd(s) can help parents by writing a caption on the picture.

Closing:
Prayer: Write your own or use this example. Thank you God for raising Jesus from the dead so that our sins will be forgiven. Thank you for helping us to believe this good news about Jesus.

Tidy and Dismissal: Ask children to help tidy up. Close/lock the door and turn off the lights.

References

• Notes supplied by Lori Houck for curriculum writers' Bible study

Belief Without Seeing

Skit 1

Teacher: “This month we are going to watch caterpillars make cocoons and come out as butterflies.

Sarah: “I have to see that to believe it!”

Tyler: “Why would you have to see that? Everyone knows that happens. It’s in books—it was even in the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

Sarah: “But I’ve never seen it, so how can I be sure it really happens that way?”

Tyler: “When I used to read that book, my mother said it really happened.”

Ryan: “What if you’re sick that day the butterflies come out of their cocoons? Are you not going to believe it unless you see it yourself? What if we tell you we saw it happen?”

Sarah: “I don’t know. I’d like to believe it if you all saw it and said it was true, but I’d still feel better about it if I saw it happen. I’d also like to be able to tell other people I had seen it happen.”

Ryan: “What’s the point if nobody believes you unless they see it themselves?”

Teacher: “Great discussion, children. Seeing something for yourself is a great way to learn, but there is so much to learn that sometimes we just have to believe what other people have seen and tell us is true. Just make sure the people you believe are honest.”

Skit 2

In this skit, an adult will play the Police Officer, standing in front of the puppet stage. The adult needs a 2-way radio and can wear a Police Officer hat, maybe a dark shirt and wear a badge to make the play more realistic. Another adult can play the radio person with the other 2-way radio.

Police Officer: “Hello, I’m a Police Officer. Someone called the Police Station to report a problem. I just arrived and found a car wrecked into that fire hydrant (point away from stage), and there is water spraying everywhere. The car has no driver. If the driver who did this ran away to keep from getting into trouble, he’ll be in even more trouble when I find him. He’s supposed to stay here at the accident. I need help figuring out what happened. Are there any eye witnesses?”

Boy: “I got here after it happened. The driver looked asleep, so I ran home and told my Mom. Then I came back here, and the man was gone. My Mom said she’d come up here to help.”

Police Officer: “Did anyone see anything else?”

Wet Man: “I was sleeping on that bench near the fire hydrant, and I started dreaming that it was raining, then I woke up and saw that it was the fire hydrant spraying water on me. The driver of the car was passed out. Then an ambulance took the driver away.”

Mom, just arriving: “Hello. I’m his Mom. I called 911. They said they would call the Police Station and an ambulance.”

Police Officer(on radio): Officer Green here, could you check on an accident victim brought in by an ambulance from Main Street? Get back to me, please… Little Girl, did you see anything?”

Little Girl: “No, I didn’t. I was chasing my runaway cat, and he ran out into the street. I was following him, then I heard a loud squealing noise and a big boom noise.”

Mom: “Little Girl, did you look before you ran out into the street? Did you run in front of a car?”

Little Girl: “Well…I didn’t see a car. I was looking at my cat.”

Radio Person (off stage): “Officer Green, we have a report of an accident victim being delivered at the hospital from that location. He’s OK, but he’s not able to talk right now.”

Police Officer: “OK, I think I have the whole story now. A man was driving down the street. The Little Girl chased her cat into the street in front of him. The man braked and swerved so he wouldn’t hit the girl and her cat. That made a loud squealing sound. Then the car hit the fire hydrant, which made a loud boom, knocked it over, and the hole in the ground starting spraying water. This boy came up, saw the hurt man and went home to tell his mother. His mother called 911, who called the Police Station and the ambulance. This sleeping man was just waking as the ambulance was about to take the driver away. The driver did a good thing by not hitting the Little Girl, and he did not run away. He was hurt and was taken to the hospital. Thanks for your help.”

Skit 3

Puppet1: “This Bible verse is hard for me. I don’t understand it.”

Puppet2: “Get your Bible, and read the Bible verses around that verse—for a few verses before it and a few verses after it.”

(Puppet 1 walks off stage. Then comes back.)

Puppet1: “I understand more about the story, but it’s still confusing.”

Puppet3: “Ask your teacher for help.”

(Puppet 1 walks off stage. Then comes back.)

Puppet1: “It makes a little more sense now—the teacher told me what all the words meant, but I still have some questions.”

Puppet4: “Ask your parents.”

(Puppet 1 walks off stage. Then comes back.)

Puppet1: “My parents helped me understand what it means to them, but I still have some questions.”

Puppet2: “Ask the minister.”

(Puppet 1 walks off stage. Then comes back.)

Puppet1: “I think I’m starting to get it. The minister told me some things about the history behind the verse and what people who read the Bible all the time think it means. It made it a lot clearer.”

Puppet3: “There is still another place you can go for answers.”

Puppet1: “What is that?”

Puppet3: “You can pray to God in Jesus’ name to help you understand the verse.”

Puppet4: “That should definitely be a very complete answer!”


Skit 4

Natalie: “That’s a pretty sunset.”

Hailey: “I wonder what the sunrise will look like tomorrow.”

Austin: “How do you know the sun will come up tomorrow?”

Samuel: “Of course it will come up.”

Austin: “How do you know that?”

Hailey: “Why do you have to question everything? It will come up because it always does.”

Austin: “I know it always has, but how do we know that it always will?”

Samuel: “I’m sure some scientist who studies these things would tell us if it wasn’t, and then it would be on TV.”

Natalie: “Whatever. I just believe it will.”

A lesson posted by Catherine from: Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Doubting Thomas
Games Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children will learn the story and play a group game "Draw Your Own Conclusions" that demonstrates believing things we haven’t seen for ourselves.

Scripture Reference:

John 20: 19-31

Memory Verse:

“Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 (CEV)

Concepts:

• Jesus is alive.
• Jesus is our Lord and our God.
• Even though we have not seen Jesus, we can believe in him.

Lesson Objectives:

• Older children will locate the story of Doubting Thomas in their Bibles. Younger children will learn that the story is in the Gospel of John.
• The children will hear the story, with emphasis on concepts 1 and 2 above.
• The children will play a game that demonstrates believing things we haven’t seen for ourselves.
• The class will discuss the game and how it relates to believing in Jesus when we have not seen him.

Teacher preparation in advance:

• Prepare opening and closing prayers.
• Practice telling the Bible story and become very familiar with the discussion points at the end.
• Collect items for the game and conceal them in appropriate containers.
• Optional: Bring a CD or taped music for background music while you are gathering, meditative music for Reflection time.
• Write the scripture verse on a white board or display it in the room some other way.

Supply List:

• Pencils
• Dry-erase marker
• Extra Bibles
• Journal sheets
• Items for game concealed in appropriate containers

Lesson Plan

Opening:

Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your name-tag. Make sure the children are wearing name-tags. If not, ask the shepherd to supply a temporary badge. Remember you are interacting with a different group of students each week who may not know you.

Open with a brief prayer.

Explain the purpose of this workshop:

Say: Today we’re going to play a game called Draw Your Own Conclusion. First, let’s hear the story.

Scripture/Bible Story:

1. Grades 1-2 will not use Bibles, but do open yours to show them where the story is. For grades 3-5, make sure everybody has a Bible. Help the students to find the book of John.

2. If necessary, review the organization of the Bible: The Bible is divided into two big parts, the Old and New Testaments. Each part is made up of books, which are divided into chapters and verses. Have them figure out whether John is in Old or New Testament (it’s about Jesus so it’s in the NEW Testament).

Show them that if they open their Bible in the middle, they’ll usually land in the book of Psalms in the OT. Point out that the book name is at the top of each page. After finding Psalms, if they then take the pages on the right side and divide them in half, they’ll land somewhere near the beginning of the New Testament. John is the fourth book in the New Testament, so most of them can find it from there. (Encourage everyone to learn the books of the Bible.)

After they’ve found John, help them find chapter 20, then verse 19. Some of the children will confuse chapters and verses. Show them that chapter numbers are the big ones, and also are at top of every page.

Read the story (let the older kids follow along in their Bibles), or tell it using the summary below as a guide. (Optional: Mark off a square on the floor with masking tape and have the kids sit on the tape. Tell them they are the walls of a closed room. The door is locked. Sit in the center of the square and use toy figures to represent Jesus and the disciples as you tell the story. Start with all but one of the disciple figures, add Jesus when he appears in the story, take him away when he leaves, add Thomas when appropriate, and bring Jesus back for his second appearance. )

3. Unless this is the first Sunday of the rotation, let the children help you tell the story. This will give you an idea of how much they already know. Other ideas for reviewing the story in later weeks:

Begin the story and let each person in the circle add one line to the story until it is complete. Help them tell the COMPLETE story.

Tell the story back to them with inaccuracies and let them correct you. (especially fun for the younger ones -- but don’t do this until the later part of the rotation).

Have them roughly sketch the story out and then tell it.

Photocopy the passage (remove verse numbers), cut it up and see if they can put it back together correctly. Let them work in pairs so that less skilled readers are not put on the spot.

Story Summary:
After Jesus died on the cross, his disciples were afraid that they were going to get in trouble for being followers of Jesus, so they sat in a room with the door locked. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the room. He showed the disciples the scars in his hands and his side. They knew that he was not dead any more. Jesus was alive!

One of Jesus' disciples, Thomas, was not there that night. So the others told him, "We saw the Lord!" But Thomas did not believe his friends. He said, "I will not believe it until I see the nail marks in his hands and touch them with my fingers. And I will not believe until I put my hand where the spear went into his side."

A week later, Jesus’ disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. They had locked the doors of the room, but Jesus came in anyway. He greeted the disciples and then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop doubting and have faith."

After seeing Jesus, Thomas said, "You are my Lord and my God!" He knew it was true–Jesus was alive! Then Jesus told Thomas, "You believe because you see me. The people who believe without seeing me are the ones who are truly blessed.”

Game:

"Draw Your Own Conclusion" - a group game.

The class plays together, and each child gets a turn to be the main player. Have a collection of objects concealed in boxes, bags or other containers. With each prop, ask the whole class a question about it (what is it, what color is it, is it hard or soft, etc.) and let them all guess at the answer. Have them guess in some active way – stand up, wave their arms, wiggle their fingers, nod their heads, jump up and down, etc. Then let one child experience the object in some additional way – seeing it, feeling it, shaking the box, etc. – and give a more educated guess. Finally, show the object to the class.

Start with objects where the class will have to guess randomly (it’s a flower, what color is it?) then move on to more specific descriptions (it’s a sunflower, what color is it?).

The purpose of the game is to demonstrate that, like Thomas, we all need information and experience in order draw accurate conclusions. Sometimes we can’t experience something for ourselves but, unlike Thomas, can still believe it to be true because of other information we are given, our past experience, our trust in the source of information, and things we already know or believe to be true.

See end of lesson plan for examples.

Reflection Time:
Gather the children in a circle and talk about the game.

Which items did you have to just guess about without having any idea whether you were right? The ones where there was not enough information to know the right answer – color of a flower, what’s in the box.

What were some of the questions that were easy to answer? The ones where there was only one answer -- color of a fire truck or sunflower, is a teddy bear soft, what does a lemon taste like.

So some questions were easy because you had knowledge and experience that made you sure of the answer.

Let’s think about Thomas. Did he have the knowledge and experience he needed to believe Jesus was alive? He hadn’t seen Jesus alive himself, but he knew Jesus died on the cross. He didn’t know it was possible for Jesus to be alive.

The only evidence Thomas had was the other disciples’ word that Jesus was alive. I wonder why he didn’t believe his good friends when they told him Jesus was alive? Their word wasn’t enough for him. He needed to see for himself. All his past experience and knowledge told him that Jesus was dead.

When you were playing the game, was it easier to make a decision when you were the one looking at or feeling or tasting the object, or when somebody else was looking or feeling or tasting and telling you about it? Did you ever NOT believe what the person said? Why or why not? Accept all answers.

Sometimes, no matter what somebody tells us, we need to experience the evidence for ourselves, like Thomas. But sometimes we can believe something because we trust the person who tells us, or because we have other knowledge or experience that tells us something is true. Some people can believe that Jesus is alive because it’s in the Bible. Some people need more knowledge and experience. We can’t see Jesus, but by learning about him and trying to live the way he did and experiencing his love for us, we all can come to know Jesus.

Do you remember what Thomas said when he realized it was Jesus? You are my Lord and my God. Jesus is our Lord and our God, too.

Recite the Bible memory verse: “Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 (CEV)

Distribute the journal pages and  pencils/markers. Optional: Give the children a sticker or some other memento to paste onto their page as a reminder of the workshop.

Read the journal prompt out loud and help the children with suggestions if they seem stuck. (Suggestion: Workshop leader and shepherds model for the children by filling out a journal page themselves, and telling the kids what they’ve written.) Children who finish early can do the activity on the back of the journal page.

Closing:
Close with prayer. Suggestion:

Jesus, we have not seen you but we know that you are with us always. Help us to believe when we have doubts, and thank you for your love. Amen

References:

Storytelling ideas:

• Linda Lawler, Educational Patterns for Children's Ministry
• Dennis Dewey, Biblical Storyteller,   https://sacredstoryjourneys.wordpress.com/
  

Draw Your Own Conclusion – game examples

1) Object: a picture of a flower.
I’m holding a picture of a flower. What color is it?
Let the class “vote” on the first three or four colors guessed: Everybody who thinks it’s red, stand up. Now everybody who thinks it’s blue, stand up. Caitlin, come up and take a look at the flower. Don’t let anybody else see. Now tell the class what color it is. Let Caitlin look and report to the class. Everybody who believes Caitlin that the flower is red (or whatever color she said) wiggle your fingers. Now everybody who doesn’t believe her, wiggle your fingers. Caitlin, show the class the picture.

2) Object: a picture of a sunflower, violet, or other flower that comes in only one color.
I’m holding a picture of a sunflower. What color is it? Let the class vote by standing up and turning around. Then let someone look, report to the class and show the picture, as above.

3) Object: A balloon.
I have something in this box. What is it?
Let the kids vote on the first three or four guesses: Everybody who thinks it’s a shoe, hop on your left foot…. It could be a lot of things, couldn’t it? Let’s see if we can narrow down the possibilities. If you think it’s something heavy, slap the floor. Now if you think it’s light, slap the floor.
Johnny, come up and hold the box. Is it heavy or light? Clap if you believe Johnny. Now clap if you don’t believe Johnny.
Now Brittany, come up and close your eyes tight. I’m going to open the box and let you feel the object inside. Can you tell what it is? Let Brittany identify the object. Everybody who agrees with Brittany roll your head…. If Brittany can’t identify the object, ask her questions about it – is it smooth or rough, hard or soft, firm or squishy, etc. Let people in the class guess and agree/disagree with each guess. If all else fails or the class gets bored, show them the balloon.

Continue in this vein until everybody has been called on at least once. If you have a small group you can let one child do several things with an object (shake the box AND feel the object). If the class is large, divide the participation as above so everybody gets a turn.

These are just suggestions for objects and questions. To keep the game moving, with the easy ones (color of a fire truck, taste of a lemon), just let the class answer and move on to the next object, unless you have a lot of kids who haven’t had a turn. Add or substitute your own ideas and use objects that are easily available to you. Try to involve all the senses.

• Toy fire truck – what color is it?
• Teddy bear – is it soft or hard, fuzzy or smooth?
• A piece of food – what does it taste like? What is it? (use something sweet like a miniature marshmallow – ask about food allergies before letting anybody taste anything)
• A slice of lemon – what does it taste like?
• A jar of sugar or salt – show to the class and ask which is it? You can’t tell by looking – let somebody taste and report.
• Rocks in a box – Is it heavy or light? What does it sound like/feel like? What is it?
• Packing peanuts in a box – heavy or light? What does it sound like/feel like? What is it?
• Jingle bells in a box – what does it sound like? What is it?
• A sock– Hard or soft? Firm or squishy? Noisy or quiet? What is it?
• Soap or perfume – What does it smell like? Solid or liquid? What is it?
• Jar of liquid – water, dish detergent, honey, oil – what does it feel/ smell like? (Have a wet washcloth to clean sticky hands afterwards.)
• Tapes of people singing – who is it? Use somebody popular that most of them can identify from their own knowledge, and somebody they’re unlikely to know.
• A tape of someone playing an instrument – what instrument is it? Try one easy and one hard to identify.
• A ball in a bag – feel it to tell what kind of ball it is. (baseball, softball, rubber ball, tennis ball)

Possible ways to vote:

Stand up and….
Shake your left leg
Turn around
Hop on your right foot
Hop three times
Stand on your left foot
Run in place
Stand on your tiptoes and turn around
Touch your knees
Put your hands on your hips
Put your hands behind your back
Salute
Stomp three times
Sit down and ….
Roll your head
Wave your arms
Wiggle your fingers
Put both hands on your head
Put both hands on your back
Pat your knees
Raise both hands as high as you can
Clap three times
Point at the door
Rub your stomach
Pat your head
Put your hand on your heart
Tap your forehead with your finger
Nod your head
Slap the floor

A lesson posted by Catherine from: Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.