The Grudge List
Game ·
Upper elementary ·
10 min
|
Bear Valley Community Church
POWERED BY KIDOLOGY
|
|
GAME · Ages 9–11 · 16-23 MIN · Genesis 45:1-15; Genesis 50:15-21
The Grudge List
|
BIG IDEA
|
Joseph remembered exactly what his brothers did to him and chose to be kind to them anyway — forgiveness is not forgetting, it's refusing to use what you remember as a weapon.
|
SUPPLIES · 1 ITEM
|
1
1-2 min |
How good is your memory?
| DO |
Gather everyone sitting in one big circle on the carpet. |
| SAY |
I have a theory about this group. I don't think any of you can remember more than eight things in a row. |
| DO |
Let them protest. Someone will insist they can remember way more than eight things. |
| SAY |
Okay, prove it. We're going to build a list, and whenever it's your turn, you have to repeat the whole thing before I give you a new one to add. |
|
|
|
2
3-5 min |
Build the list
| DO |
Explain the rules: you will call out a silly, invented offence, the first child repeats it, then you give a second one and the next child repeats both, in order, and so on around the circle. You supply every item — the offences are ridiculous and made up, never something a real person actually did to a real child. |
| SAY |
Item one: you ate my last waffle. Ready? Repeat that back to me, then I'll give you item two. |
| DO |
Go around the circle, feeding new items yourself: you put a frog in my shoe, you sold my bike to a stranger, you used my toothbrush to clean your shoes, you gave my birthday cake to the dog. Keep it silly and keep it moving. |
| SAY |
Ooh, so close! Somebody's list just fell apart! |
| DO |
You do not need to reach every child. This game is built to collapse — someone will forget an item, laugh too hard to finish, or the list will simply get too long to hold. Six to ten turns is usually plenty. When it breaks down twice, or you've used about four minutes, stop and move on. |
|
|
|
3
2-3 min |
So who wins?
| SAY |
Who remembered the most? |
| DO |
Let a few kids answer and celebrate whoever held the longest list. |
| SAY |
Okay, here's the real question. Once you've got a list like that — everything somebody's done wrong — what are you supposed to do with it? |
| DO |
Let them answer honestly. Most will say something like get them back, or forgive and forget. Don't correct any answer yet — just collect them. |
| SAY |
There's a man in the Bible who had a list like that. Every single thing on it was true. And it wasn't a game — his own brothers did every one of those things to him. |
|
|
|
4
3-5 min |
What Joseph actually said
| DO |
Give quick context: Joseph's brothers sold him as a slave when he was young. Years later, Joseph became a powerful ruler in Egypt. After their father died, the brothers were terrified Joseph would finally get even. |
| DO |
Read Genesis 50:20 aloud from a Bible. |
| SAY |
"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive." Genesis 50:20, World English Bible. |
| DO |
Point out the surprising part: Joseph doesn't say it's fine or pretend it didn't happen. He says the true, hard thing out loud — you meant evil against me — and then, in the very next verse, tells them he'll take care of them and their children. |
| SAY |
Joseph didn't erase the list. He just decided he wasn't going to use it against them. |
| DO |
Name this plainly, because it matters: the text never says the brothers earned their way back into Joseph's good side. They didn't pay him back or prove themselves. Joseph forgives them anyway. |
| SAY |
The brothers never fixed what they did — they couldn't. Joseph forgave them because of what God was doing through the whole story, not because they'd finally earned it. |
|
|
|
5
1-2 min |
One name, before Wednesday
| SAY |
Think of one person you could recite a list about. Don't say their name out loud — just think of them. |
| DO |
Give them a few seconds of quiet. |
| SAY |
This week, do one plain, ordinary kind thing for that person. Say their name when you see them in the hallway. Save them a seat. Pass them the ball. And don't bring up the list. |
| SAY |
You're probably still going to remember what's on it. That doesn't mean you failed. Joseph remembered too. Forgiving someone isn't forgetting what happened — it's putting the list down instead of using it. |
|
|
|
THE PASSAGE · Genesis 45:1-15; Genesis 50:15-21
Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery years before. Now Joseph is a powerful ruler in Egypt, and when their father dies, the brothers are terrified he'll finally get even. Instead Joseph names exactly what they did — he doesn't pretend it didn't happen — and tells them God used even that evil to save many lives. He comforts them and promises to take care of them and their children.
|
TALK ABOUT IT · PICK ONE OR TWO
YOUNGER
If you keep a list of everything someone's done wrong, does it usually get shorter over time, or longer?
What's the difference between forgetting something someone did and forgiving them for it?
OLDER
Joseph told his brothers the truth about what they did instead of pretending it never happened. Why might that actually be a better way to forgive someone than just staying quiet about it?
The brothers never paid Joseph back or fixed what they did. Does that seem fair to you? Why do you think Joseph forgave them anyway?
|
|
BEFORE YOU TEACH IT
Please review and adapt all generated content before use.
|
Bear Valley Community Church · GAME · The Grudge List
KIDOLOGY.ORG
Back to everything
