Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12
Memory Verse: Proverbs 8:32 (CEV)
"Pay attention, my children! Follow my advice and you will be happy."
Concepts:
· God blesses those who follow Jesus
· Jesus’ followers are gentle, kind and peaceful
Objectives:
·
The children will learn what the following words mean
and be able to apply them to their daily lives: disciples, poor in spirit, kingdom of heaven, meek/gentle,
righteousness, mercy, peacemakers, pure in heart, and rejoice.
·
The children will become familiar with the Beatitudes
and how they can apply them to current day activities
Procedure:
Welcome and Introductions:
1. Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your nametag.
2. Explain the purpose of this workshop. This morning we are going to discover some exciting news that took place a long time ago that still means as much to us, today. We are going to study the Beatitudes. We are going to learn what our faith in Jesus means to us as we live each day.
Scripture/Bible Story:
·
Have
the Children stand and say the memory verse.
·
Ask
them to bow their heads for prayer.
Pray a prayer.
·
Have
them to sit and open their Bibles to the Scripture. Ask who would like to read, or have them to each read a
verse. At the end – you might want to
provide a sticker to the children who brought their own Bible.
Application:
·
You will have written each of the Beatitudes on a slip
of paper. Fold the slips containing the
Beatitudes and place in a basket. You
may want to have extra copies for larger groups. It is okay to repeat a Beatitude.
·
With the children sitting down in a circle, begin
playing music and have the children to pass the basket. You will pause/stop the
music. When the music stops the child
holding the basket must take out a slip and read the Beatitude. (If
the children cannot read well, assist them).
·
Talk about what the Beatitude means to them. Other children can help. You and the Shepherd may need to provide
guidance by sharing what the Beatitude means to you.
·
When the slips have all been read the game is
over.
4. If time allows conduct the next part of the lesson reflecting on current day people who represent the Beatitudes:
· Have the following headings on chart paper
· Poor in spirit (people who love God and need Him, people who are having a hard time in life and need to feel secure in God's love)
· Those who morn (lost a pet, best friend moved away, did not make the team, people who are sad)
· The meek (humble people, those who do not brag)
· Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (those who seek to follow God's way)
· The merciful (those who are patient and kindhearted)
· The pure in heart ( love God first, are not greedy)
· Peacemakers (mediate between friends who are upset, religious leaders)
You may want to note the “people” under each heading to provide a visual answer.
Ask if the children have people or examples to share under each heading. You may have to provide examples, and I have provided you with a few.
As they discuss and add to the list, bring in the fact that the scriptures are relevant to us today. The truth of the word is still very real, even though Jesus preached this sermon over 2000 years ago. Refer to the objectives.
Reflection Time:
Ask the shepherds to pass out the journal sheets and pencils/markers. Suggestion: You may wish to give the children a sticker or some memento to paste in their journal as a reminder of the story or activity.
Prompts for journal writing: Draw a picture about a time you were gentle. Draw a picture of what you think a peacemaker looks like. Draw a picture of what you will do to be more pure in heart.
Prayer: Suggestions for the closing prayer – Lord help us show mercy to our friends. Help us to find ways to keep peace and be gentle with all those around us. Thank you for blessing us with scripture that tells us the truth and provides hope for tomorrow.
Teacher preparation in
advance:
1. Read the scripture passages and attend the Faith Quest Leaders Bible Study.
2. Prepare a closing prayer.
3. Please read the scriptures. Read and re-read the attached story so that you become familiar enough with the story that you can tell the story instead of reading the story to the students. Making props will assist you in the delivery of the story – but is not necessary. When using the “voice of God”, stand and sound very strong. When speaking for the people, sit and speak softly. When you speak as Moses, sit straight and speak as he would have to God and then the people.
Suggested Supply List
· Chart paper for listing words/meanings, Memory Verse and Current Day people and the Beatitudes
· CD/tape player
· Christian music, happy classical music
· Basket to pass around the Beatitude strips
· Stickers for rewards if you so desire
References
Lori Houck’s Bible Study Lessons
Amy Crane’s Lesson from the Exchange - www.rotation.org
Additional Teacher Notes for Sermon on
the Mount: Beatitudes
The Sermon
on the Mount
When Jesus saw the crowds,
he went up the mountain;
and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.
Then he began to speak,
and he taught them,
saying:
[THE
BEATITUDES (Matthew 5: 3-12)]
I suggest
copying these for the Beatitude Bash Game
Blessed
are those
who humbly depend on God's grace,
for the Kingdom of God
belongs to them.
Blessed
are those
who mourn,
for God will comfort them.
Blessed
are those
who are humble,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed
are those
who hunger and thirst to for God to set things right;
for God will satisfy them fully.
Blessed
are those
who show mercy to others,
for God will show mercy to them.
Blessed
are those
who are pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed
are those
who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
Blessed
are those
who are persecuted because they do what God requires,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you
when people insult you and persecute you because you are my followers
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward is great in heaven.
Notes
to assist in explaining the Beatitudes and what Jesus was teaching the people
then and now.
q Jesus began to teach his disciples many things to help them
see how to live.
Jesus said: "God blesses people who need to depend on God."
"God blesses people who are sad because someone died. God will make them
feel happy again."
"God blesses people who do not brag or say they are important
"God blesses people who want to obey God. They will be able to do God's
will."
"God blesses people who are kindhearted. They will be treated with
kindness." (This particular Beatitude is especially difficult for me to
teach because bad things do happen to good, kindhearted, Godly people. There is
no set answer or explanation as to why a child dies or why a Christian dies an
unnatural death. But we still have to teach the faith of what we believe to
children. It is helpful to remember
that the beatitudes refer to future blessedness. They describe the characteristics of the present community of
believers as well as the coming kingdom of heaven. Blessings and rewards may not come until the coming of God’s
kingdom in heaven.)
"God
blesses people who have a pure heart. They will see God."
"God blesses people who make peace. They will be called children of
God."
Jesus didn't say it would be easy. He did say God would be with us in all we
try to do.
Jesus said, "Those who follow God's ways will be rewarded."
Items here are to assist you with
the Current Day People and the Beatitudes as well as defining the words within
the objectives.
q 1 - The
"poor in spirit" does not refer to monetary poverty, but to those who
have a spirit of humble love for God.
2 - "Those who mourn" may be mourning the sinful nature of people and
the injustices of this world.
3 - "The meek" "are nonviolent people, who are humble and gentle
in their dealings with others because they have humbled themselves before the
greatness of God." (Hare, page 39)
4 - This statement may refer to people who hunger for God to do right for them
as individuals and/or for all who suffer.
5 - We are called to be merciful in the same way which God is: patient,
gracious, and steadfast.
6 - No one is truly pure (clean and without sin) except for Jesus. Here, he is
speaking about a love for God that is 100% pure: total and undistracted by
other desires.
7 - "It is clear that ‘peacemakers' designates not those who live in
peace, enjoying its fruits, but those who devote themselves to the hard work of
reconciling hostile individuals, families, groups, and nations." (Hare,
page 42)
8 - This refers to those who are persecuted for their beliefs and/or their
behavior as a result of those beliefs.
9 - Note the different format, and therefore emphasis, for this Beatitude
("Blessed are you"). Serious Christians must take a stand on moral
issues that are sometimes controversial or unpopular, just as the prophets
spoke the truth in spite of its unpopularity.