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 — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: — Activity Leader
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?
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: Build a Nest — Activity Leader
Colour a paper bowl using crayons or markers and add eggs and birds with glue or sticky tack.
If a child is not interested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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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: What Time Is It Mr. Wolf? — Activity Leader
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?
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: Build a Nest — Activity Leader
Colour a paper bowl using crayons or markers and add eggs and birds with glue or sticky tack.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Introduce yourself and welcome the kids to class.
Warm Up Activity: — Activity Leader
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we are onto our third week of our new series on the teachings of Jesus.
Can anyone remember some of the teachings of Jesus that we’ve learned so far?
Let’s watch our video to find out about today’s teaching…
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 a paper bowl as the base, glue down kraft paper, moss, feathers, and eggs to create a little bird’s nest.
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?
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?
