Before class, print out enough Certificates of Insurance so that each student has a copy (template found here).

You can buy insurance for almost anything, from your car to your health to your beard. But there’s a problem with even the best insurance plans: they can only offer money if you lose something. So, whether we have insurance or not, we’re all at least a little afraid of giving up the things we value most.

Jesus doesn’t want us to depend on insurance—or anything else on earth—to protect our treasures. Instead, He calls us to surrender them to Him! Then we’ll depend only on God for our security.

Hand each student a copy of the Certificate of Insurance and a writing instrument. When you buy an insurance policy, you sometimes receive what’s called a “Certificate of Insurance.” Basically, it’s a written promise from the insurance company that they’ll pay for it if the insured item is lost or destroyed. Today, we’re going to create Certificates of Insurance for God’s Insurance Plan. That’s the insurance Jesus recommends.

Want to have less anxiety about losing things? Want to depend on God for your security? No problem! Just buy a policy from God’s Insurance Plan. But remember, it comes with a price, just like any insurance. You must surrender the thing you’re worried about to God.

Now, we serve a God who gives good gifts to His children! So, He doesn’t always take away the things we’re concerned about losing. But to help us stop worrying and depend on Him, He wants us to be willing to give them up. That’s what God’s Insurance Plan is all about. 

• What’s one thing that you think many middle schoolers would be afraid of losing? (Accept all reasonable answers. Encourage students to think of both tangible things, like their phones or clothes, and intangible things like a strong singing voice or a valued friendship.)

• What would it look like to surrender that thing to God? (Students might suggest a prayer that surrenders the item to God if He wants to take it, trying to reduce your dependence on it, or some combination of the two. For example, if you value your phone, you might reduce your dependence on it by never sleeping with it by your bedside. To surrender your identity as a great soccer player to God, you might pray before each practice asking Jesus to help you glorify Him instead of yourself on the field.)

Okay, it’s time to fill out our Certificates of Insurance for God’s Insurance Plan! What are you worried about losing that you want to surrender to God? Now, what will you do to demonstrate your surrender? Instruct students to fill in their names, the thing they want to insure, and their plan to show it is surrendered; have them sign and date the document in the appropriate spot.

If time permits, ask (but don’t require) students to share what they’re surrendering and how they’ll demonstrate their commitment. Be sure to share your own “Certificate of Insurance” first as an example.

God’s Insurance Plan can help you worry less about losing the things you value most! However, like any insurance, it comes with a cost. You must be willing to surrender your treasures to Jesus.

This week let your Certificate of Insurance remind you to find your security in God instead of anything on earth. It’s not an easy thing to do . . . but it’s a sure path to having more peace in your life.

Close in prayer.