We will be having a very special Easter Celebration on Saturday, April 19 from 11:00-1:30. There will be a walk-through featuring 5 places important to the Easter story, as well as snacks, egg-dying, and an Easter Egg Hunt. Kids and adults of all ages are welcome to attend!
We need:
Lots of volunteers
candy
plastic eggs
snack foods
drinks
boiled eggs
See you then!
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Week 13: March 30
Our theme for March is "Jesus Shows Us What to Do"
Week 13- Ask, Seek, Knock (Matt 7:7-12)
This week's lesson is a tough one that many adults struggle with.
I'll start out with a lame knock knock joke. Something like...
Knock, knock...
Who's there?
Stan
Stan who?
Stan' back. I'm gonna sneeze!
Knock knock jokes are funny. But what do people usually do when someone knocks on their door? Yes, they open up to see who it is. When you go to a friend's house and you knock on their door, what does your friend do? Yes, she opens the door. Today's story is a lesson Jesus taught. Jesus liked to use stories to get people's attention. In this lesson, He used a door as His first illustration.
In the book of Matthew, chapter 7, He says in verse 7, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
If you ask your mom a question, she'll answer you. If you search for your missing sock, you'll find it. If you knock on a friend's door, your friend will open the door for you. Jesus used these things we already know to teach us how we should act.
If we ask Jesus a question, He'll answer us. If we are unsure of something and search the Bible on what we should do, we'll find the answer. And if we knock on the door to talk to God, He will open it for us. God loves us so very much He wants what's best for us. Sometimes we might not get what we pray for, but that's okay. God knows what's best! The next part of the lesson is for you to fill out.
(I'll hand the kiddos the sheet I made for our activity. They'll use a pencil/crayons to write/draw their responses.)
Listen carefully as I read verses 9 through 11. Then we'll go through and fill out the chart together.
"Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will you give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!"
So in Jesus' story, if your son asks for bread, what does He suggest the mean thing to do would be? (To give him a stone). Write or draw a stone in the 'mean' box. What would be a nice thing to give your son if he asked for bread? (Bread). Write or draw a piece of bread in the 'nice' box.
If you son asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? That would be really mean! Draw or write 'snake' in the mean box. What would you give your son if he asked for a fish?
Now let's think of something someone might ask us for. On my sheet, I'm going to say 'a pencil,' because kids ask me for sharp pencils all the time. If you asked me for a pencil, should I give you a pair of scissors? No way! I'm going to draw a pair of scissors in the 'mean' box because that would be very unhelpful to you. If you need a pencil, what should I give you? Yes, a pencil! I'm going to draw a pencil in the 'nice' box because I know that you need a pencil and I should give you one. Go ahead and think of something someone might ask you for. What would be something mean to give them, and what would the nice thing be?
Now in the next box think of something you need that you might ask someone for. On my sheet, I'm going to say 'candy for Easter eggs' because I need a lot of candy for our Easter Egg Hunt in a few weeks. If I ask your parents for candy and they gave me a dishcloth, would that be nice? No! That would be mean. You do not want to open your Easter eggs and find dishcloths intend of candy! I am going to draw a bag of candy in the 'nice' box because if I ask for candy for our Egg Hunt, the nice thing to do would be to donate candy. Now it's your turn to write or draw something you have asked someone for that you needed.
In the last section, let's think about God. We pray to Him all the time. Now remember He doesn't always answer our prayers the way we think that He should, but let's think about what He said earlier, in verses 7-8. They said, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
Instead of asking God for something in particular, like, a new cat, let's think of those verses. What if we ask God to help us get through a bad day at school. Would He help us? What about, we ask God to forgive us of our sins. Will He forgive us? What if we ask Jesus into our hearts, will He join us? Choose one of those questions- Ask, Seek, or Knock, and tell how someone 'mean' would respond and how God will respond.
Week 13- Ask, Seek, Knock (Matt 7:7-12)
This week's lesson is a tough one that many adults struggle with.
I'll start out with a lame knock knock joke. Something like...
Knock, knock...
Who's there?
Stan
Stan who?
Stan' back. I'm gonna sneeze!
Knock knock jokes are funny. But what do people usually do when someone knocks on their door? Yes, they open up to see who it is. When you go to a friend's house and you knock on their door, what does your friend do? Yes, she opens the door. Today's story is a lesson Jesus taught. Jesus liked to use stories to get people's attention. In this lesson, He used a door as His first illustration.
In the book of Matthew, chapter 7, He says in verse 7, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
If you ask your mom a question, she'll answer you. If you search for your missing sock, you'll find it. If you knock on a friend's door, your friend will open the door for you. Jesus used these things we already know to teach us how we should act.
If we ask Jesus a question, He'll answer us. If we are unsure of something and search the Bible on what we should do, we'll find the answer. And if we knock on the door to talk to God, He will open it for us. God loves us so very much He wants what's best for us. Sometimes we might not get what we pray for, but that's okay. God knows what's best! The next part of the lesson is for you to fill out.
(I'll hand the kiddos the sheet I made for our activity. They'll use a pencil/crayons to write/draw their responses.)
"Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will you give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!"
So in Jesus' story, if your son asks for bread, what does He suggest the mean thing to do would be? (To give him a stone). Write or draw a stone in the 'mean' box. What would be a nice thing to give your son if he asked for bread? (Bread). Write or draw a piece of bread in the 'nice' box.
If you son asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? That would be really mean! Draw or write 'snake' in the mean box. What would you give your son if he asked for a fish?
Now let's think of something someone might ask us for. On my sheet, I'm going to say 'a pencil,' because kids ask me for sharp pencils all the time. If you asked me for a pencil, should I give you a pair of scissors? No way! I'm going to draw a pair of scissors in the 'mean' box because that would be very unhelpful to you. If you need a pencil, what should I give you? Yes, a pencil! I'm going to draw a pencil in the 'nice' box because I know that you need a pencil and I should give you one. Go ahead and think of something someone might ask you for. What would be something mean to give them, and what would the nice thing be?
Now in the next box think of something you need that you might ask someone for. On my sheet, I'm going to say 'candy for Easter eggs' because I need a lot of candy for our Easter Egg Hunt in a few weeks. If I ask your parents for candy and they gave me a dishcloth, would that be nice? No! That would be mean. You do not want to open your Easter eggs and find dishcloths intend of candy! I am going to draw a bag of candy in the 'nice' box because if I ask for candy for our Egg Hunt, the nice thing to do would be to donate candy. Now it's your turn to write or draw something you have asked someone for that you needed.
In the last section, let's think about God. We pray to Him all the time. Now remember He doesn't always answer our prayers the way we think that He should, but let's think about what He said earlier, in verses 7-8. They said, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
Instead of asking God for something in particular, like, a new cat, let's think of those verses. What if we ask God to help us get through a bad day at school. Would He help us? What about, we ask God to forgive us of our sins. Will He forgive us? What if we ask Jesus into our hearts, will He join us? Choose one of those questions- Ask, Seek, or Knock, and tell how someone 'mean' would respond and how God will respond.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Week 12: March 23
Our theme for March is "Jesus Shows Us What to Do"
Week 12- No Worries About Tomorrow (Matt 6:25-34)
Out lesson this week is a powerful reminder that we don't have to worry about tomorrow, for God is already there. As the first signs of spring begin making their way into our neighborhood, I know that baby birds will be chirping their morning wake up calls soon.
I'll give the kids brown paper to cut into small pieces to look like tiny branches while I read.
Verse 25 starts us out: "Don't worry about your life, what you'll eat or drink, or what you're going to wear. Look at the birds of the air. They do not farm and store food up, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. You are more valuable than birds. Worrying will not make your life longer.
And why do you worry about clothes? Flowers do not work hard on choosing their outfits. If God clothes the flowers, which only last a short time, won't he clothe you much more? You have little faith if you worry. Do not worry about things in this world, for the pagans run after these things. Your heavenly Father knows that you need food and clothing, but if you first seek God, then He will give you food and clothing. So do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Week 12- No Worries About Tomorrow (Matt 6:25-34)
Out lesson this week is a powerful reminder that we don't have to worry about tomorrow, for God is already there. As the first signs of spring begin making their way into our neighborhood, I know that baby birds will be chirping their morning wake up calls soon.
I'll give the kids brown paper to cut into small pieces to look like tiny branches while I read.
Verse 25 starts us out: "Don't worry about your life, what you'll eat or drink, or what you're going to wear. Look at the birds of the air. They do not farm and store food up, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. You are more valuable than birds. Worrying will not make your life longer.
And why do you worry about clothes? Flowers do not work hard on choosing their outfits. If God clothes the flowers, which only last a short time, won't he clothe you much more? You have little faith if you worry. Do not worry about things in this world, for the pagans run after these things. Your heavenly Father knows that you need food and clothing, but if you first seek God, then He will give you food and clothing. So do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
To make a gentle bird's nest reminder, give each kiddo a paper plate to cut in half, then we'll pass the staplers around to staple the rim (front pieces facing each other). Leave the top of the nest open. Write each students' name on the back of the paper plate.
Then glue the brown "branches" onto the front of the paper plates to look like a nest using white glue.
Next I'll let the kids pick out 3 pom-poms to be the birds, and they can glue them onto popsicle sticks. We'll add a small triangle of paper for the beaks and two wiggly eyes.
This will take some time to dry, so we'll set the crafts aside on a table to collect next week. I'll let them color this verse sheet I created using Scrappin Doodles clipart during the remainder of the lesson.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
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Saturday, March 15, 2014
Birthday Night in the Teen Class!
A couple of weeks ago our Wednesday Night teen class held a birthday party for everyone! (There is an unusual amount of March birthdays in the group, apparently, so majority ruled in the scheduling, I think.)
Anyway, the group organized what everyone was to bring, and (un?)surprisingly, everyone remembered! There was pizza, chips/dip, drinks, brownies, birthday cake, ice cream, donuts, candles, balloons, tablecloths, plates and plastic-ware... and even presents! Each teen received a pretty cool shirt with our church name on the back.
Our Wednesday Night youth group is open for kids in High School/college from 6-7:30 every Wednesday night.
Anyway, the group organized what everyone was to bring, and (un?)surprisingly, everyone remembered! There was pizza, chips/dip, drinks, brownies, birthday cake, ice cream, donuts, candles, balloons, tablecloths, plates and plastic-ware... and even presents! Each teen received a pretty cool shirt with our church name on the back.
Our Wednesday Night youth group is open for kids in High School/college from 6-7:30 every Wednesday night.
Week 11: March 16
Our theme for March is "Jesus Shows Us What to Do"
Week 11- Loving Everyone (Matt 5:43-48)
Although our congregation is Church of the Brethren I always tell about Saint Patrick, since it's such a popular holiday (especially for young children who love special days and pinching!) I almost always attach him with a lesson on the Trinity (legend goes he used the three leaves on a shamrock to tell about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being "one-in-three") but this year I had inspiration from Matthew 5:43-48 and decided that Pat's story really fits nicely right here, too. So here goes...
I'll start off by letting the kids color a shamrock green, and we'll discuss the holiday and what people think about when they hear "Saint Patrick." Most younger kids use words like "leprechaun" and "gold," and the older ones say "Catholic" and "Irish." Sometimes even "snakes" is added to the list! I'll then have them write people they love on the leaves of their shamrock.
1. Tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day. What's that? (A holiday where we wear green)
2. Who was Saint Patrick? Why are we talking about him 1,500 years after he died?
3. When you hear "Saint Patrick" what do you think about?
4. What are you coloring now? (Yes, it's a shamrock)
5. What does a shamrock have to do with Saint Patrick?
Saint Patrick was an amazing person. Even though he lived a long time ago, he was able to share the message of Christ with people who hated him! Crazy, isn't it? Let's read our scripture and see what Saint Patrick did to get a holiday.
Our lesson today is in the book of Matthew, in chapter 5. Remember a couple weeks ago we talked about the Sermon on the Mount (All the people who are blessed?) And last week we learned the Lord's Prayer? Well, this lesson by Jesus takes place at the same time. He said all of these things in one day. Listen carefully.
Verse 43 starts us off. "You have heard the law that says 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy," But I say, "Love your enemies!" Pray for those who are mean to you."
Wow, God wants us to be kind, love, and pray for everyone, even people who are mean to us! Jesus said if we do that then we will be acting like true children of God. He said that God sends sunlight on both evil people and good ones, and He sends rain on both, too. This means that God allows good things to happen to good people, and bad people. God allows bad things to happen to good people, and bad people too. If we only love people that love us, then we are selfish. We are acting like everyone else in the world, instead of acting like Children of God. Jesus said, "If you are only nice to your friends, how are you a Christian? Even pagans do that!" He wants us to try our best to love everyone.
Look at your shamrock. Raise your hand if you put your family on there. How about your friends? Did anyone put that girl in your class that you don't like? How about that boy that's mean to you on the bus? Should his name be on your shamrock? Jesus wants us to love everyone, even those who are mean to us. Otherwise, we're like pagans. *The term 'pagan' can get complicated quickly, so I'm definitely smushing ideas and stereotyping to make it explainable to children!
1. What is a pagan? (Someone who doesn't follow regular rules, they were selfish, and didn't care about anything but making themselves happy. Some of them practiced sorcery, which is like them thinking they could do magic. They definitely didn't care about people they didn't like)
2. Verse 47 says that we should be nice to everyone, even people who are mean. Otherwise we are like pagans. What does that mean? (If we are only nice to people we like, then we are selfish and we don't care about their feelings. We cannot share God's love with them if we hate them!)
A few hundred years after Jesus taught this lesson to His friends, there was a boy who lived in Great Britain named Patrick. He was raised by two Christian parents, but was kidnapped by pagans when he was a young teenager. They took him to Ireland and he was a slave for about 6 years before he was able to escape. He told his friends and family that while he was a slave he prayed to God all the time- about 100 times a day! He knew that God was always with him, even when he was away from his family and surrounded by people who hated him.
When he was about 20, he was able to escape and ran away. He got a ride on a ship back to Britain. His family was SO happy to finally have him home! But Patrick thought about the people who had kidnapped him. He thought about the people who hated him. He thought about the people who ordered him around while he was a slave. Instead of hating them, like people usually do, he chose to love them instead. In fact, he decided that he needed to share God's love with them! He became a priest and travelled back to Ireland. He spent the rest of his life talking to people about Jesus and sharing God's love with them! He helped start new churches all around Ireland so the pagans could learn about Jesus. Then they weren't pagans anymore. They became Christians! Patrick spent the rest of his life loving his [former] enemies.
That's a pretty awesome tale. If I had been kidnapped and taken away as a slave it would be REALLY hard for me to love them. And going back to that strange country to be around people who hated God? No thanks! But Patrick listened to Jesus' teachings and knew that he had to be nice to EVERYONE, not just the people back home that loved him. People were so impressed by him, the Catholic church eventually began calling him "Saint Patrick."
Today we're going to make Saint Patrick paper bag puppets. (The directions are very easy to follow- most kids can look at an example or directions and create their own.) These from Oriental Trading are reasonably priced (on sale) and all pieces are self-adhesive, so kiddos only need to remove the backing from each piece.
Week 11- Loving Everyone (Matt 5:43-48)
Although our congregation is Church of the Brethren I always tell about Saint Patrick, since it's such a popular holiday (especially for young children who love special days and pinching!) I almost always attach him with a lesson on the Trinity (legend goes he used the three leaves on a shamrock to tell about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being "one-in-three") but this year I had inspiration from Matthew 5:43-48 and decided that Pat's story really fits nicely right here, too. So here goes...
I'll start off by letting the kids color a shamrock green, and we'll discuss the holiday and what people think about when they hear "Saint Patrick." Most younger kids use words like "leprechaun" and "gold," and the older ones say "Catholic" and "Irish." Sometimes even "snakes" is added to the list! I'll then have them write people they love on the leaves of their shamrock.
1. Tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day. What's that? (A holiday where we wear green)
2. Who was Saint Patrick? Why are we talking about him 1,500 years after he died?
3. When you hear "Saint Patrick" what do you think about?
4. What are you coloring now? (Yes, it's a shamrock)
5. What does a shamrock have to do with Saint Patrick?
Saint Patrick was an amazing person. Even though he lived a long time ago, he was able to share the message of Christ with people who hated him! Crazy, isn't it? Let's read our scripture and see what Saint Patrick did to get a holiday.
Our lesson today is in the book of Matthew, in chapter 5. Remember a couple weeks ago we talked about the Sermon on the Mount (All the people who are blessed?) And last week we learned the Lord's Prayer? Well, this lesson by Jesus takes place at the same time. He said all of these things in one day. Listen carefully.
Verse 43 starts us off. "You have heard the law that says 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy," But I say, "Love your enemies!" Pray for those who are mean to you."
Wow, God wants us to be kind, love, and pray for everyone, even people who are mean to us! Jesus said if we do that then we will be acting like true children of God. He said that God sends sunlight on both evil people and good ones, and He sends rain on both, too. This means that God allows good things to happen to good people, and bad people. God allows bad things to happen to good people, and bad people too. If we only love people that love us, then we are selfish. We are acting like everyone else in the world, instead of acting like Children of God. Jesus said, "If you are only nice to your friends, how are you a Christian? Even pagans do that!" He wants us to try our best to love everyone.
Look at your shamrock. Raise your hand if you put your family on there. How about your friends? Did anyone put that girl in your class that you don't like? How about that boy that's mean to you on the bus? Should his name be on your shamrock? Jesus wants us to love everyone, even those who are mean to us. Otherwise, we're like pagans. *The term 'pagan' can get complicated quickly, so I'm definitely smushing ideas and stereotyping to make it explainable to children!
1. What is a pagan? (Someone who doesn't follow regular rules, they were selfish, and didn't care about anything but making themselves happy. Some of them practiced sorcery, which is like them thinking they could do magic. They definitely didn't care about people they didn't like)
2. Verse 47 says that we should be nice to everyone, even people who are mean. Otherwise we are like pagans. What does that mean? (If we are only nice to people we like, then we are selfish and we don't care about their feelings. We cannot share God's love with them if we hate them!)
A few hundred years after Jesus taught this lesson to His friends, there was a boy who lived in Great Britain named Patrick. He was raised by two Christian parents, but was kidnapped by pagans when he was a young teenager. They took him to Ireland and he was a slave for about 6 years before he was able to escape. He told his friends and family that while he was a slave he prayed to God all the time- about 100 times a day! He knew that God was always with him, even when he was away from his family and surrounded by people who hated him.
When he was about 20, he was able to escape and ran away. He got a ride on a ship back to Britain. His family was SO happy to finally have him home! But Patrick thought about the people who had kidnapped him. He thought about the people who hated him. He thought about the people who ordered him around while he was a slave. Instead of hating them, like people usually do, he chose to love them instead. In fact, he decided that he needed to share God's love with them! He became a priest and travelled back to Ireland. He spent the rest of his life talking to people about Jesus and sharing God's love with them! He helped start new churches all around Ireland so the pagans could learn about Jesus. Then they weren't pagans anymore. They became Christians! Patrick spent the rest of his life loving his [former] enemies.
That's a pretty awesome tale. If I had been kidnapped and taken away as a slave it would be REALLY hard for me to love them. And going back to that strange country to be around people who hated God? No thanks! But Patrick listened to Jesus' teachings and knew that he had to be nice to EVERYONE, not just the people back home that loved him. People were so impressed by him, the Catholic church eventually began calling him "Saint Patrick."
Today we're going to make Saint Patrick paper bag puppets. (The directions are very easy to follow- most kids can look at an example or directions and create their own.) These from Oriental Trading are reasonably priced (on sale) and all pieces are self-adhesive, so kiddos only need to remove the backing from each piece.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Week 10: March 9
Our theme for March is "Jesus Shows Us What to Do"
Week 10- The Lord's Prayer (Matt 6:5-15)
This week we'll be making placemats so that the kids can take home a copy of the Lord's Prayer and remember it throughout the week as they sit down for breakfast/dinner.
I'm going to start out by giving each student a copy of the Lord's Prayer that I made using an adorable frame from Scrappin Doodles and an adorable font created by the amazing Khrys Bosland. It looks like this, with two prayers on a single sheet of paper:
As they color the frame around their prayer (and the older ones can cut around the outside edge as they wish) I'm going to talk them through the first part (verses 5-8)... something like this:
Jesus is continuing his Sermon on the Mount this week, as He explains what we can do as Christians to be a good example for others. He told people about being nice to others, following the laws we have, and even giving to the needy. Then He went on to tell about prayer.
Raise your hand if you pray at least once a week. Keep it up if you pray every day.
When do you pray? (Before meals, at bedtime, etc.)
Raise your hand if you think you're pretty good at praying. Keep it up if you would be willing to pray for our snack today or one day. How about upstairs? Keep your hand up if you would be comfortable praying in front of the whole church.
Some people get really nervous when they pray. I don't mind praying in front of kids, but even I get a little worried when I am asked to pray in front of grownups. Grownups can be scary sometimes! But we shouldn't ever be nervous. After all, we are praying to God, not grownups! It's great to be comfortable praying in front of people, but it's even more important that we can pray when we are alone with Jesus.
In Matthew, chapter 6, Jesus told His friends that when we pray, we should pray in private. This is because some people think that they are really good at praying and want to show off their skills in front of other people. Do we pray to show off? No, we pray to talk to our Father! So Jesus suggests that we pray when we can say whatever we want to Him and not have to worry about other people.
The next thing He said was to not babble. Babbling means they repeat the words over and over again instead of saying what we want.
Jesus wanted us to become better at praying, so He gave us a suggestion. Starting in verse 9, Jesus tells us exactly how to pray. Although our English words are a little different from the Hebrew He spoke, the translation in meaning is key. That's what we're going to talk about today. How to pray, and how to know what we're saying.
At this point in the lesson, I'll have all of the kids stop coloring and I'll collect the crayons. I don't want them to be interrupted or sidetracked while we're doing this next part.
Try to take a couple of minutes and read The Lord's Prayer to yourself. Think about any words that you might consider to be extra-important. If there are words you don't know, think about those, too. We'll go over it together in just a minute.
Alright. Let's look at the first part. "Our Father, Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name." That's us saying "Dear God in Heaven, your are holy." God is our Father, and "art" is an old-fashioned word for "is." The part that says "Hallowed be Thy name," that's another word for "holy." So the prayer starts out by us addressing who the prayer is to: God in Heaven, who is holy.
Read the next part to yourself as I read it out loud. "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven." We are asking God to do His will and not our own. We don't want to be selfish, do we? "Thy" is an old-fashioned word for "your." We're saying, "Your will be done, not ours."
In the long part that comes next, it says, "Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." We are asking for God to give us what we need (not want), and to forgive us for our sins. The last part means we are also asking God to help us forgive people who have sinned against us, or, those who have done mean things to us. That's kind of hard sometimes, isn't it? But if we want God to forgive us, then we need to forgive others.
"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;" That means we are asking God to keep us away from sin. We definitely need that, don't we?
And the last part adds, "For Thine is the Kingdom, And the Power, And the Glory, forever. Amen." We are once again saying that God is everything we need, forever. And then we close our prayer with respect by saying "Amen."
That's pretty powerful, isn't it? If we were to put the prayer into modern words, it might say something like this:
Dear God in Heaven, you are holy! Everything will be just as you say it will, both on earth and in Heaven. Please give us what we need, and forgive us of our sins. Help us forgive others, too. Keep us away from things that are bad, and keep us near things that are good. For You are everything we need, forever. Amen.
After this I will have the kids repeat each verse as I go through the prayer so they will all get the chance to pray to themselves. I'll then give them each a gluestick and piece of card stock so they can attach their prayer to the placemat. I'll give the crayons back out if they want to decorate the outside of their card stock, and will provide stickers as desired. I'll then call the kids up by tables to bring their placemats up for me to laminate.
My laminator is a personal-use one I got for Christmas a few years ago. (Don't hate... I make a lot of workstation activities for my classroom!) It's like this:
Anyway, this will make them a bit more sturdy than if we had just used contact paper, and I hope by it looking somewhat professional they'll be encouraged to keep it out so they can learn the prayer!
Week 10- The Lord's Prayer (Matt 6:5-15)
This week we'll be making placemats so that the kids can take home a copy of the Lord's Prayer and remember it throughout the week as they sit down for breakfast/dinner.
I'm going to start out by giving each student a copy of the Lord's Prayer that I made using an adorable frame from Scrappin Doodles and an adorable font created by the amazing Khrys Bosland. It looks like this, with two prayers on a single sheet of paper:
Jesus is continuing his Sermon on the Mount this week, as He explains what we can do as Christians to be a good example for others. He told people about being nice to others, following the laws we have, and even giving to the needy. Then He went on to tell about prayer.
Raise your hand if you pray at least once a week. Keep it up if you pray every day.
When do you pray? (Before meals, at bedtime, etc.)
Raise your hand if you think you're pretty good at praying. Keep it up if you would be willing to pray for our snack today or one day. How about upstairs? Keep your hand up if you would be comfortable praying in front of the whole church.
Some people get really nervous when they pray. I don't mind praying in front of kids, but even I get a little worried when I am asked to pray in front of grownups. Grownups can be scary sometimes! But we shouldn't ever be nervous. After all, we are praying to God, not grownups! It's great to be comfortable praying in front of people, but it's even more important that we can pray when we are alone with Jesus.
In Matthew, chapter 6, Jesus told His friends that when we pray, we should pray in private. This is because some people think that they are really good at praying and want to show off their skills in front of other people. Do we pray to show off? No, we pray to talk to our Father! So Jesus suggests that we pray when we can say whatever we want to Him and not have to worry about other people.
The next thing He said was to not babble. Babbling means they repeat the words over and over again instead of saying what we want.
Jesus wanted us to become better at praying, so He gave us a suggestion. Starting in verse 9, Jesus tells us exactly how to pray. Although our English words are a little different from the Hebrew He spoke, the translation in meaning is key. That's what we're going to talk about today. How to pray, and how to know what we're saying.
At this point in the lesson, I'll have all of the kids stop coloring and I'll collect the crayons. I don't want them to be interrupted or sidetracked while we're doing this next part.
Try to take a couple of minutes and read The Lord's Prayer to yourself. Think about any words that you might consider to be extra-important. If there are words you don't know, think about those, too. We'll go over it together in just a minute.
Alright. Let's look at the first part. "Our Father, Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name." That's us saying "Dear God in Heaven, your are holy." God is our Father, and "art" is an old-fashioned word for "is." The part that says "Hallowed be Thy name," that's another word for "holy." So the prayer starts out by us addressing who the prayer is to: God in Heaven, who is holy.
Read the next part to yourself as I read it out loud. "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven." We are asking God to do His will and not our own. We don't want to be selfish, do we? "Thy" is an old-fashioned word for "your." We're saying, "Your will be done, not ours."
In the long part that comes next, it says, "Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." We are asking for God to give us what we need (not want), and to forgive us for our sins. The last part means we are also asking God to help us forgive people who have sinned against us, or, those who have done mean things to us. That's kind of hard sometimes, isn't it? But if we want God to forgive us, then we need to forgive others.
"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;" That means we are asking God to keep us away from sin. We definitely need that, don't we?
And the last part adds, "For Thine is the Kingdom, And the Power, And the Glory, forever. Amen." We are once again saying that God is everything we need, forever. And then we close our prayer with respect by saying "Amen."
That's pretty powerful, isn't it? If we were to put the prayer into modern words, it might say something like this:
Dear God in Heaven, you are holy! Everything will be just as you say it will, both on earth and in Heaven. Please give us what we need, and forgive us of our sins. Help us forgive others, too. Keep us away from things that are bad, and keep us near things that are good. For You are everything we need, forever. Amen.
After this I will have the kids repeat each verse as I go through the prayer so they will all get the chance to pray to themselves. I'll then give them each a gluestick and piece of card stock so they can attach their prayer to the placemat. I'll give the crayons back out if they want to decorate the outside of their card stock, and will provide stickers as desired. I'll then call the kids up by tables to bring their placemats up for me to laminate.
My laminator is a personal-use one I got for Christmas a few years ago. (Don't hate... I make a lot of workstation activities for my classroom!) It's like this:
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Week 9: March 2
Our theme for March is "Jesus Shows Us What to Do"
Week 9- Changing our Attitudes with the Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-12)
Last week we talked about temptation. Remember when Jesus went out into the wilderness for 40 days and the Devil tried to make him turn stones into bread, and jump off a temple, and even worship him instead of God? Jesus sure knew how to make him go away, didn't He? Jesus said, "Get out of here, Satan! You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him."
This month we're going to talk about how to serve Christ. Many people today are just like people back in Jesus' time. We want to be good followers, but we don't know what to do. Each week this month we are going to talk about what Jesus showed us about serving Him. Some things might surprise you!
This lesson is often called "The Sermon on the Mount." The things Jesus lists are known as "the beatitudes." Jesus noticed that a crowd was gathering around Him. He was getting to be pretty popular. His disciples gathered close, and He began to teach. Jesus wanted His friends to know how to be blessed by God.
What does blessed mean? (It can mean holy, or appreciated by God)
As a Christian, do you want to be blessed? (Yes! We want God to look on us with favor. We want Him to be proud of us.)
Jesus listed 8 things that Christians can do that makes God very happy. Some of them are harder than others. Let's go through each of them and write them down using our own words.
I will have out a big sheet of poster board or chart paper hanging on the wall to fill out as we go through the verses.
Verse 3 starts us off. "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." This verse means that when we know that we can't do everything by ourselves, that we need Jesus, not a big-screen tv, to make us satisfied, we are making God happy. He wants us to need him, just like a little puppy needs it's mom.
On the chart paper I'll write 1. We realize our need for God.
Verse 4 gives us the second blessing. "God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Do you take comfort in knowing Jesus is always with you? If you do, then you will be blessed!
2. We know that God is ALWAYS with us.
This next verse says, "God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth." What does it mean to be humble? (Lowering yourself before others, being modest) If we are humble, then we take care of others before we take care of ourselves. We aren't selfish and we don't think we deserve the best always, we want to give the best to our friends and family!
3. We put others needs' before our own.
"God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied." Justice is a fancy word for keeping things fair. When you see someone not being treated fairly, what should you do about it? If your dad is cutting a cake into pieces for you and your brothers, should the pieces be equal? If we want things to be just, then we need to make sure we keep things fair.
4. We try to keep things fair.
So far, how does it look? Do you think God will bless you for how you treat others and respond to the things that happen in this world?
The next verse says "God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Wow, that kind of sounds like "You get what you give," but only in a good way! If we are merciful, which means we are compassionate and loving- we forgive others when we have the right to punish them- then we will be given the same treatment. How many of us can do this?
5. Forgive others.
We've got three more to go. It's getting tough, isn't it? Verse 8 says, "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God." How can we keep a pure heart? (Keeping our minds focused on Godly things, trying to be nice, keeping our hearts 'clean' {like our lesson a couple of weeks ago talked about!})
6. Keep a pure heart.
"God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God." How can we be peaceful? What can you do at school to work for peace? How about at home?
7. Work for peace.
And the last thing on the list Jesus talks about a little bit, because it's hard to understand. He said, "God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heave is theirs." What does "persecuted for doing right" mean? Well, He continues in verses 11 and 12 to say, "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you, and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in Heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way."
For number 8, let's write:
8. Be happy when working for God.
There are a lot of people in this world that don't like Christians. There are a lot of people in America that think that life should be about having fun and doing whatever makes us happy, even if it's not good for us or for others. By keeping up with God's commandments, we might sometimes feel left out (girls' outfits are a BIG subject that can be discussed here) or feel like we don't fit in, but Jesus is telling us that it's a good thing! We should be happy that we don't stand with the rest of the world. If something is wrong, then we know it's wrong. We need to build others up and encourage our friends, not be mean and try to make ourselves look important. Anytime we feel like our friends aren't being nice, or we feel left out, we should be happy. Weird, huh? But it's more important that we are happy with God than happy with our friends. After all, eventually the things in this world won't be around anymore, but if you're a good Christian, then you will live forever with God in Heaven. That makes me happy!
For our craft today, I have a simple cross craft from Oriental Trading for the kids to color. It has one of the Beatitude verses on it. It's listed as a Valentine craft, but really it's not. It says, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God! Matthew 5:8"
Week 9- Changing our Attitudes with the Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-12)
Last week we talked about temptation. Remember when Jesus went out into the wilderness for 40 days and the Devil tried to make him turn stones into bread, and jump off a temple, and even worship him instead of God? Jesus sure knew how to make him go away, didn't He? Jesus said, "Get out of here, Satan! You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him."
This month we're going to talk about how to serve Christ. Many people today are just like people back in Jesus' time. We want to be good followers, but we don't know what to do. Each week this month we are going to talk about what Jesus showed us about serving Him. Some things might surprise you!
This lesson is often called "The Sermon on the Mount." The things Jesus lists are known as "the beatitudes." Jesus noticed that a crowd was gathering around Him. He was getting to be pretty popular. His disciples gathered close, and He began to teach. Jesus wanted His friends to know how to be blessed by God.
What does blessed mean? (It can mean holy, or appreciated by God)
As a Christian, do you want to be blessed? (Yes! We want God to look on us with favor. We want Him to be proud of us.)
Jesus listed 8 things that Christians can do that makes God very happy. Some of them are harder than others. Let's go through each of them and write them down using our own words.
I will have out a big sheet of poster board or chart paper hanging on the wall to fill out as we go through the verses.
Verse 3 starts us off. "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." This verse means that when we know that we can't do everything by ourselves, that we need Jesus, not a big-screen tv, to make us satisfied, we are making God happy. He wants us to need him, just like a little puppy needs it's mom.
On the chart paper I'll write 1. We realize our need for God.
Verse 4 gives us the second blessing. "God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Do you take comfort in knowing Jesus is always with you? If you do, then you will be blessed!
2. We know that God is ALWAYS with us.
This next verse says, "God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth." What does it mean to be humble? (Lowering yourself before others, being modest) If we are humble, then we take care of others before we take care of ourselves. We aren't selfish and we don't think we deserve the best always, we want to give the best to our friends and family!
3. We put others needs' before our own.
"God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied." Justice is a fancy word for keeping things fair. When you see someone not being treated fairly, what should you do about it? If your dad is cutting a cake into pieces for you and your brothers, should the pieces be equal? If we want things to be just, then we need to make sure we keep things fair.
4. We try to keep things fair.
So far, how does it look? Do you think God will bless you for how you treat others and respond to the things that happen in this world?
The next verse says "God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Wow, that kind of sounds like "You get what you give," but only in a good way! If we are merciful, which means we are compassionate and loving- we forgive others when we have the right to punish them- then we will be given the same treatment. How many of us can do this?
5. Forgive others.
We've got three more to go. It's getting tough, isn't it? Verse 8 says, "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God." How can we keep a pure heart? (Keeping our minds focused on Godly things, trying to be nice, keeping our hearts 'clean' {like our lesson a couple of weeks ago talked about!})
6. Keep a pure heart.
"God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God." How can we be peaceful? What can you do at school to work for peace? How about at home?
7. Work for peace.
And the last thing on the list Jesus talks about a little bit, because it's hard to understand. He said, "God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heave is theirs." What does "persecuted for doing right" mean? Well, He continues in verses 11 and 12 to say, "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you, and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in Heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way."
For number 8, let's write:
8. Be happy when working for God.
There are a lot of people in this world that don't like Christians. There are a lot of people in America that think that life should be about having fun and doing whatever makes us happy, even if it's not good for us or for others. By keeping up with God's commandments, we might sometimes feel left out (girls' outfits are a BIG subject that can be discussed here) or feel like we don't fit in, but Jesus is telling us that it's a good thing! We should be happy that we don't stand with the rest of the world. If something is wrong, then we know it's wrong. We need to build others up and encourage our friends, not be mean and try to make ourselves look important. Anytime we feel like our friends aren't being nice, or we feel left out, we should be happy. Weird, huh? But it's more important that we are happy with God than happy with our friends. After all, eventually the things in this world won't be around anymore, but if you're a good Christian, then you will live forever with God in Heaven. That makes me happy!
For our craft today, I have a simple cross craft from Oriental Trading for the kids to color. It has one of the Beatitude verses on it. It's listed as a Valentine craft, but really it's not. It says, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God! Matthew 5:8"
Movie Night!
Thanks to everyone to helped to make our Movie Night a success! We had 32 students and about 10 grownups hanging out with tons pizza, candy bars, chips & dip, chips & salsa, chocolate chip cookies, Little Debbie cakes, goldfish crackers gummy worms and more! We also played a Pin-the-Eye-on-the-Minion (Guess what movie we watched!?!?) and made yellow and purple minion bookmarks for our Bibles that remind us to follow Jesus and stay in the light!
March Lessons
Our theme for March is "Jesus Shows Us What to Do"
Week 9- Changing our Attitudes with the Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-12)
Week 10- The Lord's Prayer (Matt: 6:9-13)
Week 11- Loving Everyone (Matt 5:43-48)
Week 12- No Worries About Tomorrow (Matt 6:19-34)
Week 13- The Golden Law (Matt 7:7-12)
Yep, we're hanging out in the Book of Matthew this month!
Week 9- Changing our Attitudes with the Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-12)
Week 10- The Lord's Prayer (Matt: 6:9-13)
Week 11- Loving Everyone (Matt 5:43-48)
Week 12- No Worries About Tomorrow (Matt 6:19-34)
Week 13- The Golden Law (Matt 7:7-12)
Yep, we're hanging out in the Book of Matthew this month!
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