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TODAY’S BIBLE S TORY See the Getting Ready pages at the end of this document for a detailed
description of what you’ll need for this Large Group experience.
Jesus’ Parable of In the Director’s Guide you’ll find a variety of other resources to help
the Wedding Feast you prepare.
Matthew 22:1-14

OPENING LARGE GROUP

TODAY’S BOT TOM LINE • Welcome/Opener
• Worship (“All to You” and “Sing Your Praise”)
Everyone is invited to the party. • Intro Video
• Bible Story (live script or video option provided)
• Outro Video
• Theme Song (“Start the Party”)
KEY QUES TION
• Closer
How does it feel to be invited?

MEMORY VERSE

“You always show me the path

that leads to life. You will fill me
with joy when I am with you.”
Acts 2:28, NIrV

BASIC TRUTH

I should treat others the way

I want to be treated.

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TODAY’S BIBLE S TORY OPENING LARGE GROUP

E N GAG E K I D S’ H E A RTS T H RO U G H A DY N A M I C A N D I N T E R AC T I V E
Jesus’ Parable of B I B L E S T O R Y, W O R S H I P, A N D P R AY E R E X P E R I E N C E I N A L A R G E
the Wedding Feast GROUP SETTING. (30 MINUTES)
Matthew 22:1-14
A U D I O : P L AY H I G H - E N E R G Y M U S I C A S T H E K I D S E N T E R .
V I D E O : S TA R T T H E P A R T Y T H E M E L O O P

TODAY’S BOT TOM LINE Host is on stage, welcoming the kids as they enter.

Everyone is invited to the party. V I D E O : S TA R T T H E P A R T Y H Y P E V I D E O

OR
V I D E O : S TA R T T H E P A R T Y 3 0 - O R 6 0 - S E C O N D T I M E R

KEY QUES TION

OPENER
How does it feel to be invited? V I D E O : S TA R T T H E P A R T Y T H E M E L O O P

H O S T : “Hello, friends! We’re back! The party is just beginning.

MEMORY VERSE Toss a handful of confetti in the air.

“You always show me the path

“Does anyone remember WHY we’re having such a huge party? (Pause for
that leads to life. You will fill me
response.) That’s right! We’re celebrating the good news about Jesus!
with joy when I am with you.”
Acts 2:28, NIrV
“We’re celebrating because God loved us enough to send Jesus FOR us. Jesus
showed us the best way to live. He treated people with love and compassion.
He died on the cross for our sins, and then He came back to life. That is a
fantastic reason to celebrate!
BASIC TRUTH
“Do you remember our memory verse for this week, Acts 2:28? Let’s say it
I should treat others the way
together.
I want to be treated.

S L I D E : M E M O RY V E R S E

H O S T A N D K I D S : “‘You always show me the path that leads to life. You will
fill me with joy when I am with you,’ Acts 2:28.” (NIrV)

H O S T : “That’s right! Jesus shows us the path that leads to life. We can live a
life full of joy when we follow the path He gives us. It’s the kind of joy that’s
always deep down in our hearts, no matter what else might be happening
around us.

V I D E O : S TA R T T H E P A R T Y T H E M E L O O P

“Now, before we get started with today’s game, I’m wondering if anyone here
has a birthday this week. Raise your hand if you do.

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If anyone raises their hand, quickly celebrate them.

“Happy birthday to you, [kids’ names] . . . and happy UN-birthday to everyone else! That’s right. Today we’re celebrating
EVERYONE’S birthday with our game: It’s Your Birthday.

S L I D E : “ I T ’ S Y O U R B I R T H D AY ”

“First, let’s divide up into five groups.

Note: In advance, determine the best way to divide up your kids so you have five comparably sized
groups—one for each station.

“Now, we’ve set up some favorite birthday party activities around the room that you and your group can do together.

Walk to the Pin the Tail on the Donkey station, with the table(s) full of paper “tails” and the donkey
illustration on the wall.

“Here we have Pin the Tail on the Donkey. When you and your group get to this station, each of you can grab ONE tail,
close your eyes, and try to go stick the tail on the wall where the donkey’s tail should be. You don’t have to take turns.
You can go at the same time as other people in your group. Just be sure to hold your hands out in front of you so you
don’t bump into anyone. And keep your eyes closed—no peeking!

“If your tail ends up close to where the tail should go, take a look at the number on it and remember that number, okay?

Walk to the limbo station with the pool noodle.

“Then we have the limbo. Your leader(s) will hold the pool noodle while the rest of you try to limbo underneath it. See
how low you can go!

Walk to the piñata station with the other pool noodle.

“Here we have a piñata! You’ll take turns trying to swing this pool noodle and hit the piñata with it. Your leader will
point to one person at a time to come up and try one quick swing while everyone else stands back behind the line.
You’ll only have time for a few people to swing before it’s time to switch stations, so not everyone will have a turn here.
Just make sure you cheer for each other, okay?

Note: Obviously the kids won’t be able to knock down the piñata, but they’ll have fun trying!

Walk to the photo booth station.

“Here’s our birthday photo booth. Leaders, you’ll need your phones for this one. You’ll get together with your whole
group and let your leader take some fun selfies of all of you together. Be sure to make your best silly faces!

Walk to the station with the inflatable instruments.

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“And finally, here’s the birthday song station. Your leader will pass out instruments, so some of you might end up playing a
little air guitar, singing into the microphone, or even jamming out on a saxophone. If you don’t end up with an instrument,
that’s cool! You get to be part of the choir. Your leader will count to three and you’ll sing ‘Happy Birthday’ together!

“All right, it’s time to split up into stations.

Direct each of the five groups to a different station.

“Let’s get some music going.

A U D I O : “ S TA R T T H E P A R T Y ” I N S T R U M E N TA L

“When you hear this sound, it’s time to switch to the next station.

Hit the bell or blow the air horn.

Indicate the order the groups should rotate—i.e. clockwise around the room, etc. (This will help the leaders know what
to do logistically.)

“On the count of three, everyone shout: ‘Start the party!’ And then you can begin. One, two, three . . .”

H O S T A N D K I D S : “Start the party!”

Comment on the action as you observe the groups at the various stations.

Allow about 30 seconds for each station. Then hit the bell or blow the air horn to move everyone to
the next station.

Keep this pattern going until all groups have been able to try all five stations.

After you’ve completed all five stations, look at the donkey station and call out the number of
the tail that’s closest to where the tail should go. Give a small prize to the kid with that number
(optional).

You may also want to take down the piñata and give a prize from inside to each adult leader, as a
way to thank them for serving (also optional).

AU D I O : FA D E O U T MU S I C
V I D E O : S TA R T T H E P A R T Y T H E M E L O O P

H O S T : “Way to go! This has been a super-fun party. It’s great to celebrate EVERYONE’S birthday together!

“You can head back to where you were sitting before. But stay with your group, and stay up on your feet, because we’re
about to move, dance, and sing some songs to worship God.”

Clean up the game supplies as you transition to Worship.

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WORSHIP
Worship Leaders enter. Host exits or goes into the audience to participate.

W O R S H I P L E A D E R : “God’s love fills us with JOY! We know that God will never let us go. Let’s sing this song that says,
‘I’ll give my all to You.’ Come on and sing with me.

V I D E O : “A L L T O Y O U ” L I V E LY R I C S O R D A N C E M O V E S M U S I C V I D E O

“It’s so good to know that God never changes. [Basic Truth] We can trust God no matter what. As we read in
Lamentations 3:23-24: ‘His great love is new every morning. Lord, how faithful you are! I say to myself, “The Lord is
everything I will ever need. So I will put my hope in him”’ (NIrV). Every day, we can choose to worship God with the
words we say and the way we treat other people. We can share God’s joy with the world! Let’s sing this together.

V I D E O : “ S I N G Y O U R P R A I S E ” L I V E LY R I C S O R D A N C E M O V E S M U S I C V I D E O

“Great singing, everyone! You can take a seat for our Bible story.”

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I N T RO V I D E O
V I D E O : S TA R T T H E P A R T Y E L E M E N TA R Y I N T R O V I D E O , D AY 2

Worship Leaders exit.

B I B L E S T O RY ( L I V E O R V I D E O )
NOTE: If you choose to tell the Bible story live, use the script below. We have also provided a Bible
story video, with the same content, that you can show here in place of the live Bible story script.

O P T I O N A L V I D E O : S TA R T T H E P A R T Y E L E M E N TA R Y B I B L E S T O R Y V I D E O , D AY 2 ( I F Y O U C H O O S E T O U S E I T I N
P L AC E O F T H E L I V E B I B L E S TO RY S C R I P T )

SETTING UP THE STORY

S L I D E : T H E M E B AC KG R O U N D

S T O R Y T E L L E R : “It’s great to be here with all of you as we look at the way Jesus lived and the things He taught
people about God.

(Hold up Bible.) “Today we’re looking at something Jesus said near the end of His time here on earth. This happened
when Jesus went to Jerusalem not long before He was arrested and gave His life for us on the cross.

“Jesus was speaking to the religious leaders because they were trying to stop Him and make Him look bad in front
of everyone else. These leaders didn’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God, and so they asked Him some tough
questions that they thought He wouldn’t be able to answer.”

EVERYONE’S INVITED
S T O R Y T E L L E R : “The religious leaders thought they were the ONLY ones who were doing everything right. They thought
they were the only ones who should be included in God’s kingdom. But Jesus taught them something very different.

“Jesus shared several stories with the religious leaders, including the story of a wedding feast that a king gave for his son.

“In the middle of Jesus’ story about this special feast, the king said this to his servants.

S L I D E : M AT T H E W 2 2 : 9

Open the Bible to Matthew 22:9 (NIrV) and read.

“‘Go to the street corners. Invite to the dinner anyone you can find.’

“Did you catch that? Who was invited to the king’s wedding feast? (Pause for response.) Right. EVERYONE.

“Remember, Jesus was talking to the religious leaders here. It seems He wanted them to understand that God’s
kingdom wasn’t meant only for them. Everyone is invited to the party.”

S L I D E : T H E M E B AC KG R O U N D

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BE AN INCLUDER
S T O R Y T E L L E R : “You see, the way we treat people is very important. We can show people they’re valuable with our
words and actions. We can help people understand that God loves them and they’re invited to the party too.

Walk behind the table and open the first wrapped gift. Pull out the basketball and bounce it a
few times.

“It feels good when someone says, ‘Come play with us. You can be on our team.’

Put the basketball back in the first box. Then open the second wrapped gift. Pull out the party hat
and put it on.

“It feels good when someone says, ‘Will you come to my birthday party?’

Put the party hat back in the second box. Then open the third wrapped gift. Pull out the church
building made with LEGO® bricks.

“It feels good when someone says, ‘Come to church with me. It’s really fun, and we can learn about God together.’

“I know I’d want someone to say those kinds of things to me. I know I want to feel like I belong. So when we invite
people and include them, it’s a great way we can [Basic Truth] treat others the way we want to be treated.”

A NEVERENDING PARTY
S T O R Y T E L L E R : “Of course, Jesus was talking about something MUCH bigger than just being invited to play on a
basketball team or to come to a birthday party. He was talking about the kingdom of God!

“You see, God has invited ALL of us to share in the party. Every single one of us is invited. We can put our faith in Jesus
and live the life God made us to live. We can have a relationship with God that makes our lives better NOW, and we
know that the party will last forever!

“So let’s act in a way that makes people feel included in whatever we’re doing.

Hold up the basketball.

“If we’re playing a game, let’s invite someone else to play WITH us.

Set down the basketball and put on the party hat.

“If we’re celebrating, let’s not keep that to ourselves. Let’s invite other people to join the celebration.

Set down the party hat and hold up the LEGO church.

“And let’s especially share the love of God with everyone we can. That could mean putting someone first and showing
them with our actions that they’re important and valuable. It could mean telling a friend about how God has made a
difference in your life. It could even mean inviting someone to come join the fun with you at church.

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“Maybe some of you are here today because someone invited you to VBS, and we’re so glad you came!”

Set down the church. Walk to the front of the stage as you wrap up.

WRAPPING UP THE STORY

S T O R Y T E L L E R : “When we choose to follow Jesus, we have the very BEST news to share. We believe that Jesus is
God’s Son and He came to give us life in the best and fullest possible way. We want everyone to get to experience that
same kind of life.

“So let’s make sure everyone knows they’re invited. Let’s make sure everyone feels welcome to come and learn about
Jesus for themselves. Let’s share about what Jesus has done in OUR lives, because we know our lives are so much
better because of Him!

“Remember:

S L I D E : D AY 2 B O T T O M L I N E

“Everyone is invited to the party.

“Let’s pray and ask God to help us live in a way that makes everyone feel invited and included.”

S L I D E : T H E M E B AC KG R O U N D

P R AY
S T O R Y T E L L E R : “God, thank You so much for inviting every single one of us to be part of Your Big Story. You created
us, and You LOVE us. You want us to live in the fullest possible way, and we know we can do that by following the path
You’ve given us. You sent Your Son, Jesus, to teach us who You are and to show us how to live. You made a way for us to
have a relationship with You that will last forever! Please help us to show Your love by including the people around us
and making them feel valuable and important. We love You, and we pray these things in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Storyteller exits.

O U T RO V I D E O
V I D E O : S TA R T T H E P A R T Y E L E M E N TA R Y O U T R O V I D E O , D AY 2

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THEME SONG
Worship Leaders enter.

W O R S H I P L E A D E R : “Our life with Jesus is like a huge party that never ends! When we follow Jesus, we ALWAYS have
something to celebrate. We know Jesus is with us, and He loves us no matter what. We are ALL invited to the party!
Sing this with us.

V I D E O : “ S TA R T T H E P A R T Y ” L I V E LY R I C S O R D A N C E M O V E S M U S I C V I D E O

“I love it! Thanks for singing, everyone. You can have a seat.”

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CLOSER
S L I D E : T H E M E B AC KG R O U N D

Host enters. Worship Leaders exit.

“Jesus wanted the religious leaders to understand that God’s kingdom isn’t just for SOME people. ALL of us are invited
to join the celebration! All of us can experience God’s love. All of us belong.

S L I D E : D AY 2 B O T T O M L I N E

“Everyone is invited to the party.

“Say that with me.”

K I D S A N D H O S T : “Everyone is invited to the party.”

H O S T : “That’s right! You’re invited. I’m invited. Every single person is invited to follow Jesus!

“Doesn’t it feel really, really good to be invited or included in something? It shows that the person values our friendship.
It shows that we matter to them.

“Let’s think about that this week as we spend time with the people around us. Look around and see if you notice
someone who needs a friend or maybe someone who’s feeling left out. You can take the first step to include them.

“There may be people around you who don’t know about Jesus yet. Or maybe they’re not sure if a relationship with
Jesus is for them. You can invite them to experience the joy you’ve found in following Jesus. That could mean inviting
them to join you here at church or even just talking to them about why your faith in Jesus is important to you.

“Remember: everyone is invited to the party. Why don’t we head to Small Group and talk some more about that?”

Dismiss kids to their small groups.

Note: If you used the video for the Bible story instead of telling it live, take a moment to lead
everyone in a prayer before dismissal. (See the prayer at the end of the scripted story for an
example.)

A U D I O : P L AY H I G H - E N E R G Y M U S I C A S T H E K I D S E X I T.
V I D E O : S TA R T T H E P A R T Y T H E M E L O O P

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GE T TING READY
H E R E ’ S E V E RY T H I N G YO U N E E D TO K N OW

1. O P E N E R / C L O S E R LARGE GROUP VISUALS:

W H AT YO U N E E D : • Start the Party Theme Loop Video
• Host • Start the Party Hype Video OR 30- or 60-Second Timer
• Loose confetti that the Host can toss in the air • Memory Verse Slide
• Bell or air horn • “It’s Your Birthday” Slide
• Five stations set up around the room: • Donkey Silhouette Example
ú Pin the Tail on the Donkey station: • Theme Background Slide
• Large donkey silhouette, drawn freehand on • Day 2 Bottom Line Slide
posterboard or craft paper, attached to the
wall (see Donkey Silhouette Example LGV for W H AT YO U D O :
reference) • Download and print the tech sheet for everyone
• Table(s) helping with Large Group.
• Paper chain strips; one per child, plus extras, • Download the slides and videos and have them ready
with a number written on each strip (see “What to use. If you do not have screen capabilities, you have
You Do”) Orange’s permission to enlarge and print the slides on
• Small dots of sticky tack; one on each paper strip paper.
(see “What You Do”) • Download music from a resource such as iTunes®
• Optional prize for the winner (like a party favor or Amazon Music® and have it ready to play. If your
from the dollar store) church has a license agreement with a streaming
ú Limbo station: service, please refer to the legal coverage of the
• One pool noodle license.
ú Piñata station: • Download the “Start the Party” instrumental and have
• One piñata, hanging from the ceiling it ready to play.
• One pool noodle • Determine the best places in the room for the five
• Optional prizes inside the piñata, such as silly stations.
party favors, as a way to thank the leaders for • Make a plan for how you can divide up the number of
serving kids you expect into five groups of comparable size.
• Tape line on the floor, to keep the kids away from • For the Pin the Tail on the Donkey station, write a
the person swinging at the piñata number on each of the paper strips. Make sure you
ú Photo booth station: have enough strips for the number of kids you expect,
• Leaders’ phones plus extras. (You should be able to buy these strips in
• Fun party backdrop, such as the “Start the Party” bulk.) Lay out the strips on the table(s). Before Large
mural backdrop (optional) Group begins, place a dot of sticky tack on each paper
ú Birthday song station: strip. That way, each kid can pick one up and try to pin
• Lots of inflatable instruments (guitars, it on the donkey illustration on the wall.
keyboards, microphones, saxophones, etc.) • Make a plan to collect the photos the leaders take at
the photo booth station. These could be great to share
MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS: with parents or post on social media, as long as you
• Upbeat music to use as kids enter and exit the room can secure permission.
• “Start the Party” Instrumental (for the game)

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GE T TING READY
H E R E ’ S E V E RY T H I N G YO U N E E D TO K N OW

3. B I B L E S T O RY
If you’re telling the story live instead of on video, you’ll need the
following:
W H AT YO U N E E D :
• Storyteller
• Bible
• Table with three wrapped gift boxes
• Basketball, properly inflated (inside the first box)
• Party hat (inside the second box)
• Church built with LEGO® bricks (inside the third box;
see “What You Do”)

LARGE GROUP VISUALS:

• Start the Party Elementary Intro Video, Day 2
• Theme Background Slide
• Matthew 22:9 Slide
• Day 2 Bottom Line Slide
• Start the Party Elementary Outro Video, Day 2

If you’re using the Bible story video instead of telling the story
live, you’ll need the following:
LARGE GROUP VISUALS:
• Start the Party Elementary Intro Video, Day 2
• Start the Party Elementary Bible Story Video, Day 2
• Start the Party Elementary Outro Video, Day 2

W H AT YO U D O :
• Download the slides and videos and have them ready
to use. If you do not have screen capabilities, you have
Orange’s permission to enlarge and print the slides on
paper.
• Wrap the three items in gift boxes—ideally with
separately wrapped lids that the Storyteller can easily
remove. Set the three boxes on the table.
• The LEGO church can be anything that represents a
church or your church building in particular. You can
find some good images and tutorials by searching
“build simple LEGO church.”

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