2025-06-08 Zealous
Introduction
As we prepare to teach this lesson, let’s reflect on the incredible zeal of God. In a world where commitment often wavers, God demonstrates His passionate and intense pursuit of His purposes. His zeal isn't just enthusiasm—it's His wholehearted dedication to accomplishing His perfect plans.
Today’s lesson helps children understand that God acts with His whole heart in everything He does. He is never half-hearted or lukewarm in His actions. We'll use the story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem to illustrate how Jesus' zealous pursuit of God's plan of salvation demonstrates God's wholehearted commitment to us.
Our goal is to help children recognize that God's zeal is directed toward His glory and our salvation. We want them to grasp that Jesus was so committed to saving us that He was willing to choose the difficult path of the cross rather than the easy path of earthly kingship.
As you teach, pray that each child will understand the depth of God's commitment to them. May they see in Jesus' journey to the cross the picture of a God who pursues them with His whole heart, and may they respond with wholehearted love and devotion to Him.
Before Service
Ensure parents take their child to the restroom before bringing them to the children's area and use the QR code to sign in their child before the service.
Praise and Worship (15 mins)
Parents: The parent and child scheduled for this week will lead us in singing on Sunday. Please take time to practice the songs together at home, helping your child feel confident and joyful as they prepare to lead.
Prayer and Offering (5 mins)
Parents: Please encourage your children to bring an offering to church. You may help your child prepare by setting aside a coin for them to bring on Sunday. This is a great opportunity to teach them about giving to God with a thankful heart and trusting Him to provide.
What is Offering?
Offering is when we give something to God to show our love and thankfulness. In church, we often give money as an offering, but we can also give our time, talents, and kindness to God and others.
Why Do We Make an Offering?
1️⃣ To Thank God – Everything we have comes from God! Giving back is a way to say, “Thank You, God!”
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:7,
2️⃣ To Trust God – When we give, we show that we trust God to take care of us.
3️⃣ To Help Others – Offerings help the church teach about Jesus, help people in need, and share God’s love.
"God loves a cheerful giver!" That means God is happy when we give with a joyful heart!
Prayer for Offering
Dear God, thank You for giving us everything we need. We want to give back to You with joyful hearts. Please use our offering to help others and share Your love. Help us to always trust You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Review Verse from Last Week
Psalm 145:8 (NIV) —'The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.'
“The LORD is gracious”
(Point upward to represent "the Lord" and open hands as if giving a gift for "gracious")
“and compassionate”
(Place hands over heart to show "compassion")
“slow to anger”
(Move hands slowly and then make a calm-down motion)
“and rich in love.”
(Hug yourself to show "rich in love")
Supplies Needed
- Bible - Open to Isaiah 42:13 and Luke 19:30-38
- Candy - A small piece for demonstration
- Wash pail and scrub brush - For demonstration
- "Reward" visual - Picture showing various rewards (vacation, bike, games, etc.)
- Palm leaf visuals - Paper palm leaves (one per child if possible)
- Throne chair - A chair draped with nice fabric
- Crown - A simple crown or picture of a crown
- Garbage pail - With crumpled paper to represent sin
- Letter Z visual - Large letter "Z" for "Zealous"
- Memory Verse - Isaiah 42:13 written on a slide or posterboard
- Craft supplies - "Z" worksheets, crayons, markers
- Game materials - Paper, sticks/straws, tape for palm leaf crafts
Additional Scripture References
- Isaiah 42:13 (NIV) - "The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes."
- Luke 19:30, 35-38a (NIV) - "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here... They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!'"
- Hebrews 12:2b (NIV) - "For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
- Psalm 69:9 (NIV) - "For zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me."
Bible Story (10 min): God is Zealous
Introduction (1 min)
(Hold up a piece of candy and a scrub brush with enthusiasm.)
Boys and girls, I have a question for you. If I gave you a choice between these two things—eating this delicious candy or scrubbing the floor with this brush—which would you choose?
(Let children answer briefly.)
Most of you would probably pick the candy because it's easy and fun! But what if I told you that if you choose to scrub the floor instead, you would get an amazing reward? You would get a trip anywhere you want to go, a new bike, five games, $100, AND all the candy you want! Now which would you choose?
(Let children answer again.)
If you knew you'd get that great reward, would you scrub the floor like this?
(Demonstrate scrubbing lazily, without energy)
Or would you scrub like THIS?
(Demonstrate scrubbing with great energy and enthusiasm)
When something is really important to us, we don't do it halfway—we put our whole heart into it! Today we're going to learn about a special word that describes how God acts. He always puts His whole heart into everything He does. This special word starts with the letter Z.
Story Telling (5 min) - Jesus Enters Jerusalem
(Open your Bible to Luke 19 and Isaiah 42:13. Have the throne chair covered and ready, the palm leaves, and a garbage pail with crumpled paper nearby.)
First, let's look at what the Bible says about God in Isaiah 42:13:
"The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes."
What word beginning with Z do you hear in this verse? Yes, "zeal"! God has zeal. That means He acts with His whole heart—like a mighty soldier going into battle with energy and determination!
Now let's hear a story about how Jesus showed God's zeal.
Jesus had spent three years telling people about God and doing amazing miracles. He healed sick people, made blind people see, fed thousands of hungry people, and even made dead people come alive again!
Now Jesus needed to go to Jerusalem for a very important mission. Before entering the city, Jesus gave two disciples a special job.
(Read from Luke 19:30, 35-36.)
"Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here... They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road."
The people also cut palm branches and laid them on the road.
(Show the palm leaves and invite children to wave them if you have enough.)
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the people were so excited! They shouted:
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
Let's all say that together: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
(Have the children repeat the phrase.)
The people thought Jesus had come to be their king—to sit on a throne and wear a crown.
(Uncover the "throne chair" and show the crown.)
It would have been easy for Jesus to become the kind of king the people wanted. He could have had a comfortable throne and a beautiful crown. Everyone would have served Him!
But Jesus knew there was something much more important to do. He had come to take away the sin of the world.
(Show the garbage pail with crumpled paper.)
Sin is like this ugly garbage. It separates us from God. Jesus knew that to save people from their sins, He would need to do something very hard. He would need to die on the cross.
Jesus could choose the easy way—become an earthly king with a crown—or He could choose the hard way—die on the cross to save us. What did Jesus choose?
Jesus chose the hard way! He was so zealous—so committed with His whole heart—to save us from our sins that He was willing to suffer and die.
That's what it means that God is zealous. He doesn't do things halfway or without energy. He puts His whole heart into saving us because He loves us so much!
Wrap-up & Discussion (4 min)
(Sit with the children in a circle or relaxed posture.)
Today we learned that God is zealous. That means He acts with His whole heart. Jesus showed God's zeal by choosing the hard path of the cross instead of the easy path of being an earthly king.
Just like you would clean the floor with lots of energy if you knew you'd get a wonderful reward, Jesus pursued God's plan with His whole heart because He knew the joy that would come from saving us!
Ask a few gentle, reflective questions:
- What does it mean that God is zealous? (It means He acts with His whole heart, with energy and determination)
- What hard thing did Jesus choose to do instead of becoming an earthly king? (Die on the cross to save us from our sins)
- When you really love something, do you put your whole heart into it? (Allow children to share examples of things they do with zeal)
(Bring it together with this summary.)
God's zeal means He doesn't do anything halfway. When He decided to save us, He was all in! Jesus was willing to leave heaven, come to earth as a baby, live a perfect life, and then die on the cross—all because He is zealous to save us!
When we understand how zealous God is for us, it helps us want to be zealous for Him too! We can put our whole hearts into loving God, obeying Him, and telling others about Him.
Here are some ways we can show zeal for God:
- Reading the Bible with excitement to learn about God
- Singing praises to God with our whole heart
- Praying with enthusiasm
- Telling others about Jesus with courage
- Obeying God completely, not halfway
Remember, God doesn't just love us a little bit—He loves us with His whole heart! He is zealous for us!
Memorizing Verse: Isaiah 42:13
Isaiah 42:13 (NIV)
"The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes."
"Let's learn today's Bible verse that tells us about God's zeal. Listen carefully."
(Read slowly and clearly, pointing to the words if displayed):
💡 Break It Down & Explain
Let's say it together—repeat after me!
(Say in short phrases and have kids echo):
- "The LORD" (point upward)
- "goes out like a mighty man" (flex muscles)
- "like a man of war" (stand tall and strong)
- "he stirs up his zeal" (make stirring motion with hands)
- "he cries out" (cup hands around mouth)
- "he shouts aloud" (raise hands up high)
- "he shows himself mighty" (flex muscles again)
- "against his foes" (make a pushing away motion)
(Say it again as a group with the motions.)
Now let's talk about what this means:
- "The LORD goes out like a mighty man" - God is strong and powerful, like a brave soldier
- "like a man of war he stirs up his zeal" - God gets His energy and determination ready
- "he cries out, he shouts aloud" - God is not quiet or shy about His plan
- "he shows himself mighty against his foes" - God defeats anything that stands against His good plan
Craft & Game (10 mins)
Craft (5 min) - Zealous "Z" Project
Materials needed: Paper with large letter "Z" printed on it, crayons, markers, stickers
(Hold up a large printed letter "Z" and say cheerfully):
We're going to make a special craft to help us remember that God is zealous. 'Z' stands for Zealous!
I want you to decorate your "Z" with bright, vibrant colors and lots of energy—just like God's zeal! Inside your "Z," draw pictures of things that remind you of today's lesson—like Jesus riding into Jerusalem, palm leaves, or a soldier ready for battle.
Remember, zealous means doing things with your whole heart, so put your whole heart into decorating your "Z"!
(While kids draw, walk around and chat with them individually, prompting reflection)
- What are you drawing inside your "Z"?
- What's something you do with your whole heart, with lots of energy?
- Why do you think it's good that God is zealous?
(After 4–5 minutes, invite kids to share their art if time allows.)
These are wonderful! Your "Z" letters remind us that God is zealous and puts His whole heart into everything He does, especially saving us!
Game (5 min) - Palm Leaf Parade
Setup (before class):
- Paper palm leaves (one per child if possible)
- Strips of fabric or paper for "cloaks"
- Clear space for children to move around
Now we're going to play a game called Palm Leaf Parade! We're going to act out Jesus' entry into Jerusalem with lots of zeal and energy!
Each of you will get a palm leaf (or we'll take turns). When the music starts, we'll parade around the room waving our palm leaves with lots of energy—remember, we're being zealous!
Some of you will get fabric strips to be the "cloaks" that people laid on the road. You can place these on the floor for our pretend Jesus to walk on.
When the music stops, everyone shout "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" with your whole heart! Then we'll do it again with even more zeal!
(Play lively worship music and have children parade around the room with energy, stopping occasionally for them to shout the phrase. Encourage them to show more and more zeal each time.)
Wonderful job! You showed a lot of zeal in our parade! That's how excited the people were when Jesus came into Jerusalem. And Jesus showed even more zeal when He chose to die on the cross to save us from our sins!
Response Song
Optional Activity: Zealous Heart Bookmarks
Materials needed (if time allows):
- Cardstock cut into bookmark shapes
- Markers and crayons
- Hole punch and yarn/ribbon
- Stickers (optional)
Let's make bookmarks to help us remember that God is zealous and acts with His whole heart! On one side of your bookmark, write the letter Z for "Zealous." On the other side, write our memory verse: "The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal."
Decorate your bookmark with bright colors and designs that show lots of energy and zeal! When you use this bookmark, you'll remember that God is zealous for you!
Closing Prayer & Snack Time (10 mins)
Dear God, thank You for being a zealous God who acts with Your whole heart. Thank You for loving us so much that Jesus was willing to die on the cross for our sins. Help us to be zealous for You too—to love You and serve You with our whole hearts. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Now let's enjoy our snack together! As we eat, let's think about one way we can show zeal for God this week.