Serving Others to Be Great

1. What Did Jesus Say Real Greatness Looks Like?

Read the main passage together:

It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave. — Matthew 20:26-27

Leader Notes - Time: 3-4 minutes - Expected Answer: Jesus said greatness means being a servant and slave to others. In God's kingdom, the greatest people are the ones who serve others instead of bossing them around. - Redirect: If kids think greatness means being famous or powerful, remind them that Jesus turned that idea upside down. Greatness in the church is about helping people, not being in charge.

2. How Is God's Kingdom Different from the World?

Leader Notes - Time: 3 minutes - Expected Answer: In the world, greatness means having lots of people serve you—like having assistants or getting special treatment. In God's kingdom, greatness means you serve lots of people. Jesus said it is completely opposite. - Redirect: Ask for examples from school or sports if they get stuck. Help them see that a team captain who only yells is different from one who helps teammates.

3. What Did Jesus Do to Show Us This?

Read how Jesus lived it out:

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. — John 13:14

Leader Notes - Time: 4 minutes - Expected Answer: Jesus washed his disciples' dirty feet even though he was their Teacher and King. He showed that the greatest person in the room should be the one who humbly serves others. - Redirect: Make sure they connect this to Matthew 20—Jesus is proving that he practices what he preaches. He is the greatest, yet he serves.

4. Who Is Hard for You to Serve?

Leader Notes - Time: 4-5 minutes - Expected Answer: Kids might mention a sibling, a classmate who is mean, someone who gets on their nerves, or a younger kid who seems annoying. The sermon said it is easy to serve people we like but hard to serve people we think do not deserve it. - Redirect: Affirm honest answers. Remind them that Jesus served people who did not deserve it, including us. The goal is not to pretend to like everyone but to choose humble service anyway.

5. How Can You Practice Kingdom Greatness This Week?

Leader Notes - Time: 3-4 minutes - Expected Answer: Answers could include helping a sibling without being asked, sitting with a lonely kid at lunch, cleaning up a mess they did not make, or being kind to someone who bugs them. It should be specific and focused on serving a real person, not just being nice. - Redirect: Push for one concrete action. Avoid vague answers like serve more. Ask: Which person? What exactly will you do?

Application Prompt

Before you pray, have each child finish this sentence out loud: This week, I will practice greatness by serving _______ by _______. Write it down if possible so you can follow up next week.

Theological Framing for Leaders

The sermon anchors greatness not in status but in sacrificial, others-oriented service. For 9-12s, the key theological move is recognizing that Jesus redefines greatness as downward mobility—taking the position of a slave for the good of others. This is not merely being helpful; it is an identity shift modeled by Christ in John 13 and commanded for his disciples. The struggle for this age group is peer comparison and fairness. Help them see that Jesus served undeserving people—including us—on the way to the cross. The cross-reference to John 13 grounds the abstract command in Jesus' embodied action, making it imitable. Emphasize that kingdom greatness is earned through Spirit-empowered service to actual people, especially the difficult ones, not through religious busyness that avoids people.