Football Sunday School Lesson
Football Sunday School Lesson for Kids:
BOTTOM LINE:
We all have a part to play in the body of Christ.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn that, on God's team, every player has to work together.
KEY PASSAGE:
1 Corinthians 12:12-31, One Body Many Parts
MEMORY VERSE:
“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” - Ephesians 4:16
SUMMARY:
A football team takes eleven offensive players, eleven defensive players, and special teams players who know their roles and fill them. If any one person doesn’t do their job, the team is doomed to fail. Paul said that we are the body of Christ, and like a football team, we all have a role God wants us to fill.
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Help us to find our place in the church so we can fulfill our part of the body of Christ.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
MEMORY VERSE
“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” - Ephesians 4:16 (NIV)
“He makes the whole body grow and build itself up in love. Under the control of Christ, each part of the body does its work. It supports the other parts. In that way, the body is joined and held together.” - Ephesians 4:16 (NIrV)
LARGE GROUP:
Have the kids read the verse together. Read it normally; then in a whisper; then really, really loud!
SMALL GROUP:
Give all the kids a Bible. Then after you read the verse, give them the reference and see who can find it first in their Bible.
SKIT
TOO MANY QUARTERBACKS
ITEMS NEEDED:
Whistle
Clipboard
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
2M
CHARACTERS:
Coach- A football coach
Danny- A football player
Coach blows his whistle and enters with his clipboard.
COACH: All right, boys, time to run some drills. Each one of you is going to get with your position coach and work on some fundamentals, so listen up. Adler, you’re playing quarterback. Beatty, you’re also quarterback. Brewer, quarterback. Brindle, quarterback. Carr, quarterback. Edwards, quarterback. Fitzpatrick, quarterback. Guilford, quarterback. Harris, quarterback. Johnson, quarterback. McMahon, quarterback. Miller… where’s Miller?
Danny enters.
DANNY: Coach?
COACH: Ah, there you are, Miller. You’re at quarterback.
DANNY: I’m not Miller. I’m Danny Young.
COACH: Young? (looks on his clipboard) Young, Young. Ah, there you are.
DANNY: Let me guess, quarterback?
COACH: You got it, son!
DANNY: Coach, why are you making us all quarterbacks?
COACH: Because I want you all to be like my favorite player, Tom Brady!
DANNY: Coach, you can’t have a whole team of Tom Bradys!
COACH: Hmmm, you may be right. We could use a few Joe Montanas too.
DANNY: Who is Joe Montana?
COACH: Who is Joe Montana? He only won four Super Bowls with the 49ers!
DANNY: What position did he play?
COACH: Quarterback.
DANNY: We can’t all be quarterbacks, Coach. It takes eleven men to make up a football offense. You need a quarterback, a running back, a fullback, five linemen, a tight end, wide receivers, and a whole bunch of back ups. Every man has a part to play, and if they play their parts and only their parts, we can win the game!
COACH: Are you kidding? Where are we gonna find all those people?
DANNY: They’re all right here, Coach! It’s us!
COACH: You’re right! Okay then. Adler, you’re the quarterback. Beatty, Brewer, Brindle, Carr, Edwards, you’re my linemen. Fitzpatrick, you and Guilford, are running backs. Harris, Johnson, wide receivers. And McMahon, tight end! Sorry, Young, I guess you’re the odd man out.
DANNY: That’s okay, Coach. I’d rather play on the defensive team.
COACH: Sounds good. (does a double take) Wait, there’s a defensive team too?
End.
OBJECT LESSON
ITEMS NEEDED:
Football
Choose one kid. Bring them up in front of the group. Tell them to make a forward pass. When they ask to whom, ask them why they need someone else to catch the pass.
You can’t make a forward pass without someone to catch it. You can’t run any play in football without different players filling different roles on the field. You need blockers, running backs, tight ends, and receivers on offense and linemen, cornerbacks, safeties, and linebackers on defense. And then there’s the punter, the place kicker, the long snapper, and the kick holder. If any one of these people doesn’t do their part right, it could mean the difference between a win and a loss.
God’s church is very much like a football team. He’s given us all special talents and a special calling. As you grow older, God will show you the gifts he’s given you and lead you to a place where you can use those gifts. When he does, listen. Obey. Follow his direction. He will help you find your role.
We are one team. We are one body with many parts. Don’t slow down the works by trying to be something you’re not. Know your role, and fill it to the very best of your abilities.
LARGE GROUP GAME
BOMBS AWAY
ITEMS NEEDED:
4 Footballs
INSTRUCTIONS:
Choose two teams of two for this game. Have the teammates stand ten feet apart. At the same time, each player will throw a football to their partner. If both teammates catch their footballs, they stay in the game.
Each time both teams catch their balls, have the players take a step back and throw again. Keep going until someone misses.
VARIATION:
You can add more teams if you have enough footballs.
Just use one football per team for the little kids.
WHAT’S THE POINT?
We all have a part to play in the body of Christ, just as every football player has their role.
LARGE GROUP LESSON
BOTTOM LINE:
We all have a part to play in the body of Christ.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn that, on God's team, every player has to work together.
KEY PASSAGE:
1 Corinthians 12:12-31, One Body Many Parts
INTRO
How many of you are now playing, or have in the past played, a sport? How many of you have played soccer? Volleyball? Teeball, softball, or baseball? Basketball? Anyone tried tennis?
Whether you’re athletic or not, there’s a great deal we can learn from the sports we play. Sports require discipline because we have to learn how to play, how to practice, and how to focus during a game. Sports teach us ways we can keep our bodies fit and stay healthy. Sports can also teach us how to accept loss with grace and dignity. It can also teach us how to be a gracious and humble winner, one who doesn’t gloat over the losses of others.
In the next few weeks, we’re going to see that sports can teach us a lot about being a Christian, and the very first lesson comes from America’s most popular sport: football.
Have any of you played football, either in an organized setting or on the playground? When you play football, how many people get to play quarterback at one time? Just one, right? What other positions do you need to have to play football? What happens if someone doesn’t play their position?
More than any other sport, football is all about the team. One player can easily take over and dominate a basketball game, but in football, you can have a great quarterback and still have an absolutely lousy team. For every Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers there are two or three guys who MIGHT have been just as great - if they only had the right teammates to help them.
A quarterback can’t do it alone. He needs five strong, capable men to block for him and protect him from getting hit. He needs running backs who can run the ball, catch the ball, trick the defense into thinking they have the ball, and throw a block when needed. He needs a tight end who is strong enough to block and has hands that can catch. And he needs wide receivers with fast feet, soft hands, and strength enough to - you guessed it - throw a block.
If every man on the football field doesn’t do their job, the team is destined to lose. It’s a lesson that Paul share with the Corinthians, in a slightly different way, in one of his letters.
READ 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-31
MAIN POINT
How much are our bodies like a football team? What happens if a lung decides it doesn’t want to breathe? Or if a kidney stops filtering the bad stuff from our bodies? Or if our heart stops beating?
We all have one body, but that body is made of multiple parts. Right now you’re using lungs to breathe, hearts to pump blood, eyes to see, and ears to listen. And that’s just the beginning! All of our parts work together to help us grow, learn, and live.
Paul says the body of Christ is the church. We are the parts, and we need to learn to work together.
DRIVE IT HOME
How do we work together as one body? We have to start by discovering our talents, our gifts, and our passions. If you look at football players, they don’t all look the same. Wide receivers are long and lean. Offensive linemen are big and heavy and strong. Running backs are stocky and powerful. Kickers can be really small - but they have big, powerful legs.
God made each one of us unique. He gave us different talents that we can use for him. Look around our church and you’ll see those talents in action: some teach, some sing, some play instruments, some cook, some clean, some do the heavy lifting. God made each one of us special, and there’s a special role only we can fill in this body.
Sometimes people aren’t happy with the gifts God’s given them. They wish they could do something they think is more important. Ask any football player, and they’ll tell you there are no unimportant team members. They all have a role to play, and everyone on the team is counting on them to do their job the best that they can.
Whether you look at it as a body, or a team, the church is made of many parts. God needs all of us working together so we can grow in Christ and reach out to the world around us. You have a role to play. You have gifts uniquely yours, and a role only you can fulfill. Find your role, and get ready to play!
CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER
Dear God,
Help us to find our place in the church so we can fulfill our part of the body of Christ.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)
ICEBREAKER
What’s your favorite sport to watch on TV?
MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY
Ephesians 4:16
Give all the kids a Bible. Then after you read the verse, give them the reference and see who can find it first in their Bible.
SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY
Play a game of hot potato with a football.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31.
How does Paul describe the church?
How is church like a body or a football team?
What happens if one player on a football team doesn’t do their job?
Why did God make us all unique and different?
What are some of the parts you see in our church?
SIMPLE PRAYER
Dear God,
Thank you for the gifts and talents you have given us. Help us to work together so we can serve you and our world.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)
ICEBREAKER
What’s your favorite sport to watch on TV?
MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY
Ephesians 4:16
Give all the kids a Bible. Then after you read the verse, give them the reference and see who can find it first in their Bible.
SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY
Have the kids get up and become a human body, with each person taking a different part of the body.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31.
How is a body like a football team?
What happens if a football player misses an assignment or doesn’t do their job?
What are some of the gifts and talents you see at work in the church?
Why is it important we use the gifts God gave us?
Have any of you discovered some of your gifts yet? What are they, and how can you use them for Christ?
SIMPLE PRAYER
Dear God,
Thank you for the gifts and talents you have given us. Help us to work together so we can serve you and our world.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of this Football Children's Ministry Lesson (just click the link).
Here's a video from Children's Ministry Deals that you might find helpful to go along with your Sunday School Lesson on football.
Take a look at the links below for other ideas for teaching a Football Sunday School Lesson:
Football Object Lesson - The Watered Soul
3 Football Object Lessons for Kids - Ministry-To-Children
Children's Bible Lesson for the Super Bowl (Proverbs 20:11)