Lesson 2: Making promises.
Passage: Matthew 5:33-37 - Jesus taught that although the Law taught us not to break oaths, but to fulfill our vows, his teaching is that we shouldn’t take oaths at all. We should not swear by anything—not heaven, earth, Jerusalem, or our own heads. Instead we should simply be honest and truthful, letting our ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and our ‘no’ be ‘no’.
Big Idea: Speaking truthfully.
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: Animal Freeze Dance — Activity Leader
Kids pretend to be animals while dancing to music, and have to freeze when the music turns off. The teacher tries to catch the moving animals.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Last Sunday we started learning about Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
Can anyone remember what a sermon is?
Why was Jesus’ sermon called the Sermon on the Mount?
Last time, we learned about how Jesus taught us that we are like salt and light when we spread God’s goodness and love in the world — just like sprinkling salt on food or shining light in dark places. Today’s lesson is all about taking oaths.
Does anyone know what an oath is?
Let’s watch today’s video to find out what Jesus said about oaths…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Questions — Bible Story Leader
Why do you think Jesus taught us not to take oaths or to swear promises?
What did Jesus say is the better thing to do?
Has there ever been a time when you made a promise that you couldn't keep? Or when someone else promised something and didn't keep their promise?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, about how we don’t have to swear or make vows or oaths. Instead, it's better to be honest and truthful with whatever we say. Please help us to understand how important it is to use our words carefully and only speak truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Decorating Sand Castles — Activity Leader
Kids will have a sand castle printable and can use stickers and markers to decorate it.
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:Animal Red Light, Green Light — Activity Leader
Kids pretend to be certain animals and walk/crawl forward when the leader says green light. When the leader says red light, they freeze. If they get caught moving when the light is red, they go back to the beginning.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is our second week talking about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Does anyone remember what a sermon is?
Why was Jesus’ sermon called the Sermon on the Mount?
Last week we learned about how Jesus taught us that we are like salt and light when we spread God’s goodness and love in the world — just like sprinkling salt on food or shining light in dark places. Today’s lesson is all about taking oaths.
Does anyone know what an oath is?
Let’s watch our video to find out what Jesus had to say about oaths…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Questions — Bible Story Leader
Why do you think Jesus taught us not to take oaths or to swear promises?
What did Jesus say is the better thing to do?
Has there ever been a time when you made a promise that you couldn't keep? Or when someone else did that to you?
Would you still trust someone just because they said "I swear"? What kind of things help you to trust someone?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
"Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, about how we don’t have to swear or take vows or oaths, but instead we should try to be honest and truthful in everything we say. Please help us to understand how important it is to use our words carefully and to speak truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Decorating Sand Castles — Activity Leader
Kids will be given a printable which they can cut, colour, and decorate.
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: Paper & Cup Challenge— Activity Leader
The leader grabs some cups and large squares of cardstock for this game. The kids built a tower of cups with the squares placed in between each cup. You can adjust the height of the tower that they need to built in order to make it more or less difficult. Points are awarded for successfully removing the cards without knocking over the cups (they will fall and stack on top of each other, but shouldn't fall to the ground).
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is our second week talking about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Does anyone remember what a sermon is?
Why was Jesus’ sermon called the Sermon on the Mount?
Last week we learned about how Jesus taught us that we are like salt and light when we spread God’s goodness and love in the world — just like sprinkling salt on food or shining light in dark places. Today’s lesson is all about taking oaths.
Does anyone know what an oath is?
Let’s watch today’s video to find out what Jesus said about oaths…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Questions — Bible Story Leader
Have you or someone you know ever said something like “I swear to God” or “I swear on my life”?
Has there ever been a time when someone swore to do something or not to do something, but didn’t keep their promise?
Why do you think Jesus cares so much whether we swear or make oaths, that he even mentioned it in his sermon?
What do you think is the main takeaway from this part of the Sermon on the Mount?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, about how we don’t have to swear or take vows or oaths, but instead we should just aim to be honest and truthful in whatever we say. Please help us to understand how important it is to use our words carefully and to speak truth rather than making false promises. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Decorating Sand Castles — Activity Leader
The kids will be provided with a printable that they can cut, colour, and decorate. They will also be given crosswords and word searches about the Sermon on the Mount.
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 know what swearing an oath means?
Have you ever heard someone say "I swear I will do this" or "I swear I won’t do that"?
What did Jesus say we should do instead of swearing oaths?
What do you think is the big message from the story?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Do you know what swearing an oath means? What are some examples?
Why do you think Jesus said that we shouldn’t swear oaths?
What did Jesus say we should do instead?
What do you think is big message of this teaching?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
How would you define what an oath is? What are some examples?
Why do you think Jesus had an issue with people making oaths?
Do you think an oath has any power? What should we do instead?
What do you think is the main point of this teaching?
