Lesson 3: The path of following Jesus.
Passage: Matthew 8:18-22 - Once a religious leader came to Jesus, wanting to follow him wherever he went. Jesus warned him that the path would not be comfortable - "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Then another man came and told Jesus that he would follow him, but to let him wait and bury his father first (that is, to wait until his father died). Jesus encouraged him to take the step and follow him now, rather than waiting for the right time.
Big Idea: Following Jesus is not always easy.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome — Leaders
Sit with the children on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class and introduces yourselves. Ask if anyone would like to share something that happened this week. Ask them to raise their hands to share with the the class.
Warm Up Activity: — Activity Leader
Follow the leader game:
Have everyone stand up and stand behind the activity leader.
Tell the kids to see if they can follow the leader in a line around the room and do what the leader does.
Some examples: different animal walks, (hop like a bunny, tiptoe, stretch like a giraffe, etc.
Finish the activity by having the children sit down.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
For the last few weeks we’ve been learning about how Jesus was a great teacher and about some of the things he taught.
Do you remember some of Jesus’ teachings? (Jesus and the children, Jesus is the light)
Today we’re going to learn about another one of Jesus’ teachings. Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
In the video, it talked about how Jesus said that following him wouldn’t always be easy… Can you think of some of Jesus’ teachings that are hard to follow?
Can you think of a time when you knew what the right thing was to do but you didn’t want to do it?
Do you think it’s still worth it to follow Jesus even when it might be hard? Why do you think so?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the teaching of Jesus that we learned today about how Jesus told his followers that it might not always be easy to follow him. Please help us to know that even though it might be hard sometimes, you’re a good God who loves and cares for us, and help us when we need it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Modeling clay nest
Using the modelling clay and craft supplies create a birds nest and eggs.
If a child is not interested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Using iPad roster checkout each child and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — All Leaders
Welcome the children to the front of the classroom, introduce yourselves and explain what you will be doing today.
Warm Up Activity: - Activity Leader
Secret Leader Game:
Kids sit or stand in a circle.
One child goes out, and the group picks a secret leader.
The secret leader starts a simple action (clapping, tapping knees) and changes it subtly, while the group copies the new action.
The person outside returns and tries to spot the leader changing the action, getting a few guesses.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
For the last few weeks we’ve been learning about how Jesus was a great teacher and about some of the things he taught.
Do you remember some of Jesus’ teachings? (Jesus and the Children, Jesus is a Light and we can follow him)
Today we’re going to learn about another one of Jesus’ teachings. Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
In the video, it talked about how Jesus said that following him wouldn’t always be easy… Can you think of some of Jesus’ teachings that are hard to follow?
Can you think of a time when you knew what the right thing was to do but you didn’t want to do it?
Do you think it’s still worth it to follow Jesus even when it might be hard? Why do you think so?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the teaching of Jesus that we learned today about how Jesus told his followers that it might not always be easy to follow him. Sometimes Jesus’ teachings are hard to do, like loving others even when we don’t feel like it, or doing the right thing when other people are not. Please help us to know that even though it might be hard, it’s always better to follow your ways, because you’re a good God who loves and cares for us, and help us when we need it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: - Activity Leader
Bird’s nest:
Using modelling clay, toothpicks and paper cups build a nest for a bird.
Dismissal: Using iPad roster check out each child and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — All Leaders
Introduce yourself and welcome the kids to class. Explain what you will be doing today.
Warm Up Activity: — Activity Leader
Secret Leader Game:
Kids sit or stand in a circle.
One child goes out, and the group picks a secret leader.
The secret leader starts a simple action (clapping, tapping knees) and changes it subtly, while the group copies the new action.
The person outside returns and tries to spot the leader changing the action, getting a few guesses.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we are onto our third week of on the teachings of Jesus.
Can anyone remember some of the teachings of Jesus that we’ve learned so far? (Jesus said Children can come to him, Jesus is the Light of the world, and we can trust him.)
Would someone want to volunteer to read the passage today?
Have the volunteer read Matthew 8:18-22.
Let’s watch our video to find out about today’s teaching… (Play Teacher Lesson 3 from playlist)
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
What do you think Jesus meant when he said that “foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head”?
Are there some teachings of Jesus that you think might be hard to follow?
Has there ever been a time in your life where you felt like following Jesus was hard? Do you think it’s still worth it to follow Jesus even in those times? Why?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the teaching of Jesus that we learned today, about how it might not always be easy or comfortable to follow in Jesus’ ways, but it’s always worth it. Although some of Jesus’ teachings may be hard to follow, we know that you are a good God who loves us, and you sent us Jesus to be the light in the world, who show us the way to live a good life. And thank you that you’re always with us in the tough times, giving us strength to get through them, and that we can always turn to you when we need help. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Build a Nest — Activity Leader
Using modelling clay, a paper cup, and toothpicks create a birds nest.
Dismissal: Use the roster iPad to manually check out each child and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
For Parents:
Follow-up questions.
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Do you think that sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing? Why?
Are some of Jesus’ teachings hard to follow? Like what?
Who do you think you can go to for help when doing the right thing isn’t easy?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What do you think is the hardest part about following Jesus? What’s the best part?
Why do you think it’s so hard to do the right thing sometimes?
What can you do when you feel like it’s hard to do the right thing or to follow Jesus’ teachings?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What do you think is the hardest part about following Jesus? What’s the best part?
Can you think of a time when you found it hard to make the right choice? What was hard about it?
What can you do when you know what the right thing is but it’s hard to do?
