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6 How many of you have played the game follow the leader? It's a pretty simple game, right? There's a leader, and you follow that person around wherever he or she goes. Now, how many of you are afraid of heights? I know I am! What if you were playing follow the leader and the leader went to the edge of a tall building? Would you follow? It would be hard, wouldn't it? And how many of you are afraid of spiders? (Show the spider.) What if you were playing follow the leader and the leader walked into a bunch of big spiderwebs? Would you follow? (Continue with examples, based on the objects you have.) Through the past week at Vacation Bible School, we've been learning about how Jesus is our leader. We learned about how God led Noah out of the flood. How He led Moses and the people of Israel by giving them the Ten Commandments. How Jesus healed the ten sick lepers and led them back to health. How Jesus called His disciples and told them to follow Him. Jesus was the leader for the disciples. They followed Him, and so do we. Do you think Jesus ever went anywhere the disciples didn't want to go? Yeah. He did. He went somewhere that He even said they couldn't follow right away. He went to the cross. The night before Jesus went to the cross, all of Jesus' disciples stopped following Him. They ran away in fear because Jesus was going somewhere that they didn't want to go. Do you remember what Jesus did on the cross? Yes, He died. He died for the sins of the whole world. He died for your sins and mine. But wait, did Jesus stay dead? No! He rose from the dead on Easter morning. What good news! After He rose from the dead, Jesus visited His disciples a few times. We learned about one of those times this past week when Jesus gave the disciples a huge catch of fish—153 of them! After that catch of fish, Jesus told one of His disciples, Peter, something he had already heard before. Jesus said, "Follow Me." Even though Peter and the other disciples had failed to follow Jesus, Jesus invited them to follow Him again. It's not always easy to follow Jesus. Sometimes, we might be afraid to go where Jesus is leading. We might have to move to a different school or city or even a different country. That can be really difficult. But Jesus always leads the way. No matter where you go, Jesus is already there. He's with you on every journey and through every challenge. We can follow Jesus without fear because He loves us. One day, Jesus will return and lead us to a wonderful place called paradise that is full of the amazing riches of God. It is better than we can imagine. Let's pray together. Dear Jesus, thank You for leading us. Help us to follow You, even when the way is difficult. Amen. Rainforest Explorers Children's Message Follow Jesus, the Leader Text: Romans 11:33: "Oh, the depth of the riches . . . of God!" Object: Toy spider, or other fitting examples that you have props for, such as snakes or sharks. Summary: Following Jesus can be difficult, but He is leading us to the riches of God and eternal life!

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