Lesson 1: Being salt and light.
Passage: Matthew 5:13-16 - During his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that we are the salt of the earth. If salt loses it’s saltiness, it is no longer good for anything but is thrown out. He also taught that we are the light of the world. Nobody takes a lamp and hides it under a bowl, but rather, they put it on a stand so it can give light to everyone. Likewise, we are to let our light shine so that others will see God’s goodness through us.
Big Idea: Let your light shine.
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: "Yes, No, Stand Up" Game — Activity Leader
Ask the kids 'yes' or 'no' questions. For example: Do you like chocolate? Is your favourite colour blue?
If their answer is 'yes', the kid stands up. If their answer is 'no,' they sit down. Pause between questions to give the kids time to look around and find others who they have common answers with.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re starting something brand new for the summer!
Does anyone know what it’s called when someone stands up in front of a big group of people to teach them about God and the Bible? (a sermon)
For the summer, we're going to be talking about a sermon that Jesus taught his followers, and finding out what we can learn from it!
Let’s watch today’s video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Questions — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone tell me what the teaching of Jesus was that we heard about in the video?
What are some things that salt is used for?
What do you think Jesus means that we are like salt?
And what do you think Jesus means when he says that we’re like a light to the world?
What are some ways that we can sprinkle God’s goodness and shine God’s love in the world?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we learned today about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and how there are so many things that we can learn from his teachings. Thank you that we are like salt and light in the world when we spread your goodness and love to everyone around us. Please help us to be kind and loving so that the whole world can see your goodness through us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Rock Decorating — Activity Leader
Kids will be given markers which they can use to decorate their rocks with any pattern or design they would like.
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 near the TV. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: "Yes, No, Stand Up" Game— Activity Leader
Ask the kids 'yes' or 'no' questions. For example: Do you like chocolate? Is your favourite colour blue?
If their answer is 'yes', the kid stands up. If their answer is 'no,' they sit down. Pause between questions to give the kids time to look around and find others who they have common answers with.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re starting a brand new series for the summer on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
Does anyone know what a sermon is?
Why do you think it's called the Sermon on the Mount?
Jesus' sermon was very long and there were lots of different parts to it. So let's watch our video to find out more...
Video Lesson
Follow Up Questions — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone tell me in your own words what teaching of Jesus we learned about in the video?
What kind of things are salt used for?
What do you think Jesus means when he says that we are like salt?
And what do you think he means when he says that we’re like a light to the world?
What are some ways that we can sprinkle God’s goodness and shine God’s love in the world?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we learned today about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and that there are so many great lessons we can learn from his teachings. Thank you that we are like salt and light in the world when we spread your goodness and love to everyone around us. Please help us to be kind and loving so that the whole world can see your goodness through us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Rock Painting — Activity Leader
Kids will be given paint and paintbrushes, which they can use to decorate their rocks with whatever pattern or design they would like.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Welcome the kids to class, ask how their week was.
Warm Up Activity: Top 5 Game — Activity Leader
This game is similar to Family Feud, except that kids will play individually.
Every kid will get a paper and pen. The leader will ask a question from the list provided, and the kids will write down an answer on their paper. The leader will then reveal the list of top 5 answers, and if the kid has guessed one of those answers they get one point.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re starting a brand new series for the summer, all about Jesus' Sermon on the Mount!
Can anyone tell me what a sermon is?
Why do you think it was called the Sermon on the Mount?
Can you think of any other times in the Bible when God spoke to people from a mountain? (in the story of Moses, God gave the people the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai)
Well Jesus' sermon was pretty long and has lots of different parts, so today we’re just going to learn about just one small part of it, and for the rest of the summer we'll be talking about more of it.
Let’s watch today’s video to find out about it…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Questions — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone tell me in your own words what Jesus’ teaching from today's video was all about?
What are some things that we use salt for?
What do you think Jesus means that we are like salt?
And what do you think Jesus means when he says that we’re like a light to the world?
What are some ways that we can sprinkle God’s goodness and shine God’s love in the world?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we learned today about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and how just like you spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, you also speak to us through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Thank you that we are like salt and light in the world when we spread your goodness and love to everyone around us. Please help us to be the kind of people who are filled with your love and goodness so that we can’t help but spread some of that salt and light in the world wherever we go. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Rock Painting— Activity Leader
Kids will be given paint and paintbrushes, which they can use to decorate their rocks with whatever pattern or design they would like.
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 do you think Jesus meant when he said that we are like salt? (we can spread God’s goodness in the world like sprinkling salt on food)
What did he mean when he said that we are a light of the world? (when we have Jesus in our hearts we shine God’s love to everyone around us)
What are some ways that we can sprinkle and shine God’s goodness and love to others?
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Description text goes hereWhat was the story you learned about in class today?
What were the two things that Jesus compared his followers to? (salt and light)
What do you think he meant by that? (just like salt makes food better, we can also help make the world better through our actions; and just like light shines brightly for everyone to see, others can see God shining through us when we are full of God's love)
What are some ways that we can be more like salt and light in the world?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What was the significance of Jesus preaching his sermon from a mountainside? (it reminds us of when God spoke to the people through Moses on Mount Sinai - once again God was speaking to the people through Jesus’ teachings)
What do you think salt and light mean in this story?
What are some ways that we can be like salt and light in the world?
