Lesson 8: Choosing the narrow path.
Passage: Matthew 7:13-14 - Jesus teaches his followers about two different paths in life that we can take — one is wide and leads to destruction, and the other is narrow and leads to life. Here he is referring to his ways and teachings as the narrow path, a challenging road to follow but which leads us to fullness of life.
Big Idea: Taking the road less traveled.
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: Simon Says — Activity Leader
Kids can take turns being the leader. The rest of the group follows the leader when they say "Simon Says" followed by an instruction. The leader can try to trick the group by giving an instruction without saying "Simon Says" first.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is the last day of our lessons on Jesus’ "Sermon on the Mount". This summer, we've been learning all about the important lessons that Jesus taught his followers. Some of the things we've learned about are...
Spreading God’s love and goodness in the world
Telling the truth and not making promises we can’t keep
Not trying to get someone back for hurting us
Searching for heavenly treasures
Not worrying so much, and instead trusting God to take care of us
Not thinking badly about others
Today we are going to be talking about two different paths or roads…
Has anyone ever gone hiking or walking in the woods before? What was the path like? Was it very bumpy and hard to climb?
Jesus teaches his followers about two different paths that people can take in life… one path is very narrow and hard to climb, and the other one is very wide and easy to walk on.
Let’s watch our video to find out more about the story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone remember what Jesus said about the two paths in life? What are they like?
What do you think Jesus is talking about here?
Do you think that Jesus’ teachings are sometimes hard to follow? What do you think is the hardest part about following Jesus?
Do you think that even though sometimes it’s hard to do the right things and follow Jesus’ way, that it is still the best way to go? Why / why not?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
"Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about the narrow and wide roads, and how following your ways is sometimes like walking on a very hard path. It’s not always easy to follow your ways and teachings. Sometimes it’s hard to do the right things. But we know that it’s worth it because your way is the best way and it fills us with love and joy and goodness. Please help us to do the right thing even when it’s hard. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Gates Craft— Activity Leader
Kids will design their own gates by drawing various types of lines and tracing them with yarn, markers, pastels, etc.
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: Simon Says — Activity Leader
Kids can take turns being the leader. The rest of the group follows the leader when they say "Simon Says" followed by an instruction. The leader can try to trick the group by giving an instruction without saying "Simon Says" first.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is the last day of our lessons on Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount," which was all about the important lessons Jesus taught his followers from the side of a mountain.
Can anyone remember some of the lessons that we've learned so far?
Being the salt and light of the world
Telling the truth and not making promises we can’t keep
Not trying to get someone back for hurting us
Searching for heavenly treasures
Not worrying so much, and instead trusting God to take care of us
Not thinking badly about others
Do you think Jesus’ teachings are easy or hard to follow?
Today we are going to be talking about two different paths or roads that Jesus taught his followers about… one path is very narrow and hard to climb, and the other one is very wide and easy to walk on.
Let’s watch our video to find out more about the story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Has anyone ever gone hiking or walking in the woods before? What is the trail or path like? Is it narrow and bumpy? Is it sometimes hard and tiring to climb?
Why do you think people like to hike on paths like that and what do they get out of it in the end?
In what way is following Jesus sometimes like hiking on a narrow and difficult path?
Do you think it’s worth it to follow Jesus even though it’s sometimes difficult and hard? Why or why not?
What are some things that can help us when we find it hard to follow Jesus?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
"Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about the narrow and wide roads, and how following your ways is sometimes like walking on a very hard path. It’s not always easy to follow your ways and teachings. Sometimes it’s hard to do the right things. But we know that it’s worth it because your way is the best way and it fills us with love and joy and goodness. Please help us to do the right thing even when it’s hard. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Gates Craft— Activity Leader
Kids will design their own gates by drawing various types of lines and tracing them with yarn, markers, pastels, etc.
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: Sculptionary — Activity Leader
Kids are divided into teams, taking turns having one kid from each team being the sculptor. The instructor gives the sculptors a word to try to shape out of playdough and the first team to guess each round gets a point.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is the last day of our lessons on Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount," which was all about the important lessons Jesus taught his followers from the side of a mountain.
Can anyone remember some of the lessons that we've learned so far?
Being the salt and light of the world
Telling the truth and not making promises we can’t keep
Not trying to get someone back for hurting us
Searching for heavenly treasures
Not worrying so much, and instead trusting God to take care of us
Not thinking badly about others
Do you think Jesus’ teachings are easy or hard to follow?
Today we are going to be talking about two different paths or roads that Jesus taught his followers about… One is narrow and difficult to cross, while the other is wide and easy to walk on.
Let’s watch our video to find out more about the story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Has anyone ever gone hiking or walking in the woods before? What are hiking paths usually like? Are they narrow and bumpy and steep? Are they hard and tiring to climb?
Why do you think people like hiking? What’s the reward they get from it in the end?
In what ways do you think following Jesus is kind of like hiking on a difficult and narrow path?
What do you think is the hardest part about following Jesus?
Even though following Jesus’ ways can be tough, do you think it’s worth it in the end? Why / why not? What are some of the benefits of following Jesus?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for all the lessons we’ve been learning from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount this summer. Thank you for showing us the way that brings us life to the fullest. Jesus’ way is not always easy and his teachings are sometimes hard to follow, but we know that it’s worth it in the end and that you help us along the way. Please help us to become more and more like Jesus every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Gates Craft— Activity Leader
Kids will design their own gates by drawing various types of lines and tracing them with yarn, markers, pastels, etc.
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’ lesson about the narrow and wide paths is all about?
Do you think that it’s always easy to follow what Jesus teaches and to do the right things? Why or why not?
Even if it’s sometimes hard to do the right things, do you think it’s still a good idea? Why or why not?
What can we do when it feels like it’s hard to follow Jesus?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What did Jesus teach about two different paths in life? What are they like?
Do you think that following Jesus’ teachings can sometimes be like walking on a difficult path? Why or why not?
Do you think that Jesus’ ways are better for us even though they might be hard to follow? Why or why not?
What are some things that can help us when we find it hard to follow Jesus?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What do you think about Jesus’ analogy of the two paths? What do you think these two paths represent?
Do you find it easy or hard to follow Jesus’ teachings? What do you find to be the hardest part about it?
What do you think are some benefits of following Jesus’ ways even though it can be hard sometimes?
What are some things that can help us when we are struggling to follow Jesus?
