Lesson 1: Jesus calls his first disciples.
Passage: Matthew 4:18-22 - Walking beside the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sees Simon and Andrew, who were fishermen. He calls them to follow him and says that he will send them out to fish for people. They immediately drop their nets and follow him. Jesus then sees James and John, who were also fishermen. When he called them, they too dropped their nets and followed him.
Big Idea: Jesus turns fishermen into fishers of men.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Sink or Float Game — Activity Leader
Have the students decide if an object will sink or float in the water. Have volunteers place the objects in the water to see what happens.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re going to be started a brand new series about the followers of Jesus, also known as disciples. The first disciple that we’ll learn about is a man named Simon Peter, who was a fisherman. Let’s watch the video to find out more about his story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone remember the name of the disciple that we learned about today?
And what was Simon Peter’ job before he became a follower of Jesus?
And what was it that Jesus said to them when he called them to follow him? (He would send them out to fish for people)
What do you think that means?
Have you ever told someone about Jesus before? What did you (or would you) tell them about Jesus?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we learned today about Simon Peter and his friends, who Jesus called to follow him and spread the good news of God’s love to others. Thank you that you also call every one of us to be your followers and to share your love with those around us. Please help us to know that you are always with us and that you care about us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Yarn Wrapped Fish — Activity Leader
Kids decorate fish cut outs, with markers, yarn, and googly eyes.
If a child is not interested in the craft, allow them to move into free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver
-
Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Sink or Float Game — Activity Leader
Have the students decide if an object will sink or float in the water. Have volunteers place the objects in the water to see what happens.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re going to be started a brand new series about the followers of Jesus, also known as disciples. The first disciple that we’ll learn about is a man named Simon Peter, who was a fisherman. Let’s watch the video to find out more about his story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone remember the name of the disciple that we learned about today?
And what was Simon Peter’ job before he became a follower of Jesus?
And what was it that Jesus said to them when he called them to follow him? (He would send them out to fish for people)
What do you think that means?
Have you ever told someone about Jesus before? What did you (or would you) tell them about Jesus?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we learned today about Simon Peter and his friends, who Jesus called to follow him and spread the good news of God’s love to others. Thank you that you also call every one of us to be your followers and to share your love with those around us. Please help us to know that you are always with us and that you care about us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Yarn Wrapped Fish — Activity Leader
Kids decorate fish cut outs, with markers, yarn, and googly eyes.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver
-
Welcome — Activity Leader
Introduce yourself and welcome the kids to class.
Warm Up Activity: Sink or Float Game — Activity Leader
Have the students decide if an object will sink or float in the water. Have volunteers place the objects in the water to see what happens.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re going to be starting a brand new series. We just finished talking about the Easter Story, about how Jesus died on the cross and came back to life again. And before that we talked about Jesus’ life — his stories, teachings, and miracles. Now we’re going to switch gears a little and talk about his followers, also known as disciples.
Does anyone know some of the names of Jesus’ disciples? How many of them were there?
Jesus had hundreds and thousands of people who followed him, but there were twelve really close followers, just like there were twelve tribes in Israel in the Old Testament.
Can anyone guess what the significance of that might be? (It’s likely that the 12 disciples were meant to represent all the people of God)
Today we’ll be learning about one of the most well-known disciple of Jesus, who’s name is Simon Peter. Let’s watch our video to find out more about his story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone remember what Peter’s job was before he started following Jesus?
And what were the names of his brother and two friends who were also fishermen?
What did Jesus tell them when he called them to follow him? What do you think that means?
Have you ever shared about Jesus with others? How did it go?
What do you think is the best way to share your faith with others?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story about your followers Simon Peter and his friends, who left everything to follow you. They left their old jobs as fishermen to follow an even better calling, to share the good news with others - that all are called and welcomed into the kingdom of God. Please help us to be a good example to those around us who might not know about you, and please help us to share our faith with others in loving ways. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Yarn Wrapped Fish — Activity Leader
Kids will decorate fish cut outs, with markers, yarn, and googly eyes. Word search sheets will also be provided.
Dismissal: Collect tags 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?
What did Peter and his friends do when Jesus called them to follow him?
Do you think that it was pretty brave of them to leave their jobs as fishermen so they could become followers of Jesus?
What was their new job now that they were Jesus’ followers? (to share the good news of God’s love with others)
What are some ways that we can share God’s love with others?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
How did Peter and his friends react when Jesus called them?
Why do you think they would leave behind their jobs to follow Jesus? Do you think that it was pretty brave of them?
What was Jesus calling them to do instead? (to share the good news of God’s love with others)
What are some ways that we can share the good news of God’s love with others?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Why do you think Peter and his friends were so willing to leave behind everything to follow Jesus?
Do you think there are sometimes things that we might also have to sacrifice when we become followers of Jesus? Like what?
What did Jesus mean when he said that he would turn them into fishers of men?
Is it easy or hard for you to share your faith with others? What are some ways to do that?
