Lesson 19: Waves, Wind, and Worship

Distribute name tags and snacks. Choose one of the following activities to do together while children eat their snack.

Collect prayer requests from the students. The leader or a student can pray for the entire group, or a leader can pair up students and invite them to pray for one another.

• “What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever experienced?”
• “What helped you feel safe?”

“Today, we’re going to learn about a time when Jesus showed his friends they didn’t need to be afraid because he was with them.”

Objective: Get kids thinking about trust in uncertain situations.

Instructions:

Ask a series of silly or serious “Would You Rather” questions where both options require a bit of bravery.

After each question, kids choose one of the two options.

Have them respond by moving to one side of the room (e.g., left side = option A, right side = option B), raising their hand, or calling out their answer.

Invite a few volunteers to share why they chose their answer.

• “Would you rather walk across a wobbly bridge or ride a rollercoaster?”
• “Would you rather be in a boat during a storm or stuck in a cave?”
• “Would you rather trust your best friend to guide you while you’re blindfolded or walk alone in the dark?”
• “Would you rather sleep in a tent during a thunderstorm or go deep underwater in a submarine?”
• “Would you rather be stuck in a boat during a storm or stuck in an elevator with a friend?”
• “Would you rather have to trust someone to catch you as you fall backward or swim in deep water without floaties?”

“Some of those choices were hard! Trusting someone means believing they’ll help you, even when you feel nervous or scared. Today we’re going to hear a true story from the Bible about one of Jesus’ friends—Peter—who had to trust Jesus during a really stormy situation. Let’s find out what happened when he did!”

Welcome the students to Crossroads and tell them you are glad they came this week.

(Talk to God about trusting him even when things are confusing or you don’t see what he’s doing yet.)

Tell kids that closing their eyes and folding their hands together can help keep them focused and not distract those around them.

• “Have you ever been caught in a storm or felt scared?”
• “What helped you feel safe?”

“Today, we will hear about a time when the disciples were in a scary storm, but Jesus showed he is always with us and has power over everything.”

Lay the blue paper or fabric on the bottom of the poster board to represent the sea.

Hold up the paper boat in front of the poster board to help children picture the boat on the sea.

Have leaders hold spray bottles nearby, ready to lightly mist kids during storm parts of the story.

“Let’s imagine we’re in a boat with Jesus’ disciples. They had just seen Jesus do a miracle—feeding thousands of people! Now Jesus tells them to get into a boat while he goes to pray.”

Read Matthew 14: 22-33 aloud for the group.

• “What part of the story stood out to you the most? Why?”
• “How do you think the disciples felt during the storm? What about when they saw Jesus?”
• “Why do you think Peter was able to walk on the water at first—but then started to sink?”
• “What does this story show us about who Jesus is?”
  (Hint: Think about his power over nature and how he helped Peter.)

“Peter was afraid when he saw the storm, but Jesus was right there. That shows us who Jesus is—powerful, caring, and near to his followers. When we trust him, we can remember that he is powerful, caring, and right by our side.”

Objective: Children will understand that faith means trusting Jesus, even when it seems hard.

Instructions:

Here’s a regular chair. Who believes it will hold you up if you sit in it?

Ask for a Volunteer:

“Would someone like to come up and show us what it looks like to trust this chair?”

Let them sit down and then stand back up.

“Did the chair hold you up? Did you hesitate before sitting down? Why or why not?”

“Most of us don’t even think twice before sitting in a chair. We just trust it to hold us.

Trusting Jesus is kind of like trusting this chair. You don’t just say you believe it will hold you—you show it by sitting in it.

In today’s story, Peter trusted Jesus enough to step out of the boat. But when he focused on the storm, he started to sink. Just like sitting in a chair shows trust, we can show our trust in Jesus by praying, worshiping, and remembering he’s with us—even in the middle of our fears.

Jesus didn’t stop the storm right away. But he came to his disciples, walked on water, and showed them that he is truly God’s Son. When Peter got afraid and started to sink, Jesus reached out and saved him. This story helps us see how powerful Jesus is—and that he cares deeply for his followers.”

Thank Jesus for showing us that he is powerful and always with us. Ask Jesus to help us trust in him when life feels scary or confusing. Thank him for loving us and saving us.

How to Play:

• Spread the blue fabric across the floor as “water.”
• Have kids stand on one side of the room.
• They must carefully walk across the fabric pretending it’s water while balancing an object (like a bean bag or cup of water).
• If they “sink” (lose balance), they can say, “Jesus, help me!” and try again.

Say: “Just like Peter walked on water, we can trust Jesus to help us when life feels hard or scary.”

How to Play:

• Divide the group into pairs. One child is blindfolded, and the other will guide them across the room by giving verbal instructions only.
• The goal is for the blindfolded child to reach the other side safely while trusting their partner’s voice.

Connection to the Lesson: Just like Peter trusted Jesus to walk on water, we can trust Jesus even when we can’t see the whole picture.

How to Play:

• Divide the kids into teams. Each team must try to keep multiple balloons (representing waves) in the air while keeping the “boat” (basket) balanced on a chair.
• If the boat tips over or the balloons fall, the round ends. Discuss how the disciples felt during the storm and how Jesus brought peace.

Connection to the Lesson: The storm seemed overwhelming, but Jesus showed his power to bring peace and help us stay strong in life’s challenges.

How to Play:

• Place paper plates across the floor like stepping stones (representing water). Kids must cross the “water” by stepping only on the plates.
• The challenge: Some plates will be labeled with encouraging words like “Faith,” “Trust,” while others say “Doubt” or “Fear.” If they step on a plate labeled “Doubt” or “Fear,” they must return to the starting line.
• Encourage the group to make it across while staying on “Faith” and “Trust” plates.

Connection to the Lesson: Peter started to sink when he focused on fear instead of trusting Jesus. Keeping our faith helps us stay close to Jesus, even in hard times.

How to Play:

• Choose one child to be the storm starter. When the leader calls out “storm!” all kids make storm sounds (clapping, stomping, wind noises) and move around.
• When the leader calls out “Jesus says, Peace Be Still,” the kids must freeze and be silent.
• Anyone still moving sits out for the next round.
• Repeat several rounds and discuss how Jesus calmed the storm and brought peace.

Connection to the Lesson: Even when life feels noisy and stormy, Jesus can bring peace to our hearts when we trust him.

Instructions:

Fill the clear cup about ¾ full with soda.

Carefully place a few raisins into the cup.

Watch as the raisins sink… then slowly rise… then sink again! This can take a few seconds, so encourage the kids to be patient and keep watching.

Talk about how the bubbles attach to the rough surface of the raisins and lift them up.

“Did you see how the raisins started to float when the bubbles lifted them up—but then they sank again when the bubbles popped? That reminds me of Peter in our story today. He stepped out of the boat and started walking on the water because he trusted Jesus. But then he saw the wind and waves, got scared, and started to sink.”

• “What do you think made Peter start to sink?”
• “What can we do when things feel scary or uncertain?”
• “What’s one way you can trust Jesus this week, even if it feels hard?”

“Just like the raisins, when Peter trusted, he rose. Jesus didn’t let Peter sink—he reached out and saved him. That reminds us that Jesus has the power to help us and is always near when we trust him.

That’s what faith means—trusting Jesus, even when it seems hard.”

Objective: Children will understand that faith means trusting Jesus, even when it seems hard.

“Peter got out of the boat because he trusted Jesus. But when he focused on the wind and waves instead of Jesus, he got scared and started to sink. We’re like that sometimes. Life can feel scary or confusing—but Jesus doesn’t leave us. He comes close and reaches out his hand, just like he did for Peter.

Your picture can help remind you that you don’t have to face scary things alone. Jesus is with you. And when you trust him, you’ll discover he is strong, kind, and always near—even in the storm.”

• “What can you do when you feel scared this week?”
• “Who can you encourage by reminding them Jesus is always with us?”
• “How can you show trust in Jesus at school or home this week?”

“Jesus is powerful, and we can trust him to help us, no matter how hard life feels.”

Pray that students’ faith in Jesus would grow stronger and that they would know that Jesus is always with them.